“Across Waters Again” by Blindside, Sunday, October 13, 2024

Twenty years ago, Blindside released their second major-label album, About a Burning Fire. The songs on the album helped to form the classic sound for which the band is remembered while pushing the band creatively. The album features a collaboration with The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan on “Hooray, It’s L.A.” The song “Roads” flirts with jazz and the song “Shekina” features orchestration and Swedish yodeling, molding Blindside into more than a hardcore band with a softened sound for radio potential with some of the mellowest songs in their discography. The album’s final song, though, the title track “About a Burning Fire,” features mostly unclean vocals similar to the band’s earlier work. Most of the songs on the album are heavy with lead singer Christian Lindskog balancing clean vocals with occasional screams The album’s lead single “All of Us” bubbled under the Modern Rock chart but the video was a hit on Fuse TV. The second single, “Follow You Down” was a hit on Christian Rock radio.

I MISS MAKING LOVE IN THE SUNDAY AFTERNOON SUNLIGHT. Blindside’s 2002 album Silence was a surprising success. Touring with P.O.D. and forming a friendship with the band and their circle proved to be part of the secret to this success. The other part was the production of P.O.D.’s producer Howard Benson who helped the band refine their two biggest albums. Silence had exposed the band to film, radio play, MTV, and late-night show performances. About a Burning Fire charted higher on Billboard’s Albums chart than Silence. Unfortunately, the album’s impact was far less than its 2002 predecessor. About a Burning Fire was the last album that Blindside released on Elektra Records after the label’s parent Warner Music was sold to Atlantic Records. Blindside went independent for their next record The Great Depression, which failed to garner the commercial success of their two major-label releases. Realistically, About a Burning Fire was never slated to be a big radio hit, even on rock radio. Christian Lindskog’s sing-scream was a sound that never got much radio play and the scream became less and less popular as the ‘00s pressed on. Still, the heavy music domination was still coming with the success of groups like Underoath, The Devil Wears Prada, and Bring Me the Horizon selling records even if their music wasn’t always rock-radio friendly.

YOU WERE NEVER LATE TO PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL. NOW IT’S FALL. Consistent throughout Blindside’s discography is their poetic lyrics. “Across Waters Again” is an album track on About a Burning Fire that discusses the difficulties of being an international band. Singer and songwriter Christian Lindskog specifically addresses missing his wife in the song and longing to return back to his homeland of Sweden as he’s spending time in other countries, particularly the smog of Los Angeles where the band recorded About a Burning Fire. The lyrics poignantly express the effort needed to keep a long-distance relationship. The motif of the passing of time and the setting of autumn give the song more urgency. Lindskog had addressed this topic before when writing the band’s second album, A Thought Crossed My Mind. The band’s success only grew since that time, causing Blindside to spend more time in America. Touring eventually calmed down for the band as they began longer intervals between their albums. “Across Waters Again” with the band’s musical clarity, Lindskog’s poetic lyrics, and Benson’s sharp production contain a broken beauty that could not last: a hardcore band from Sweden whose hearts were divided between making great music and taking care of families and responsibilities back home. Ultimately, the families won and we’re left wanting another record from Blindside. But who can blame the band?

Read the lyrics on Genius.