Beneath the Rhythm and Sound
Beneath the Rhythm and Sound is an album by the American alternative rock band the Ocean Blue, released in 1993. The first single, "Sublime", peaked at No. 3 on "Billboard"'s Modern Rock Tracks chart. The band supported the album by touring with Suddenly, Tammy! Production. The album was recorded in Nassau, Bahamas. The lyrics were written by lead singer David Schelzel, who wanted to return to the song-based writing of the first album, instead of concentrating mostly on the production. Critical reception. "Trouser Press" thought that "the self-produced "Beneath the Rhythm and  Sound" lacks the outside opinion it clearly needed; a more seasoned set of hands could’ve brought 'Sublime' (which pleads for multi-tracked backing vocals) and 'Either/Or' ... to much fuller fruition." "The Washington Post" determined that "this Anglophile Pennsylvania quartet cultivates a generalized mid-'80s British guitar-band sound on upbeat tunes like 'Peace of Mind' and 'Sublime', but when the pace slips toward the sauntering the debt to Morrissey and Marr becomes formidable." "The Columbus Dispatch" called "Beneath the Rhythm and Sound" "a lush, jangly, alluring collection of rock songs." The "St. Petersburg Times" praised "Dave Lau's light  sax on 'Bliss is Unaware'." "The Philadelphia Inquirer" opined that "you'd be hard-pressed to find a record more bland and blanched than the third release from the Ocean Blue ... Choosing to set sail on a listless sea of English pop styles, David Schelzel affects the adenoidal mannerisms of New Order's Bernard Sumner, Haircut 100's Nick Heyward, and a host of Postcard-label Scottish acts." The "Chicago Tribune" stated that the band "rings in a subtle alternative rock sound with swirling keyboards." "The Record" commended "the guitar and keyboard interplay that adds tension to 'Don't Believe  Everything You Hear'." AllMusic wrote: "Leaving behind the mellow minimalism of their first two records, the Pennsylvanians gave their ethereal music a brighter, glossier sheen on this record."