Pale Blue Dot - Anatomy (Rockfish Music)

Anatomy, the long-awaited new album from Charlottesville’s Pale Blue Dot, follows through on many of the promises made with the band’s debut EP, Telescopes. With clear influences from Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters, there is a heaviness of conscience that bubbles close to the surface, and it stems from the fact that the band lives in an area which lately has been famous to the rest of the country for its plague of white nationalism. Singer and songwriter Tony LaRocco addresses this and his own concerns for the future of the country in many of the songs, but his is not an entirely pessimistic viewpoint. In fact, one is electrified after listening to the album with a distinct feeling of hope.

Chief among them, “Only Love” is specifically an anthem for optimism and the prospect of affecting change. LaRocco augments this as well with songs like “Stained Glass Window” that are more personal and about his love for the people in his own life. It’s this pathos which grounds the entirety of Anatomy, and it gives his voice a further credibility when he approaches more societal and political issues as on “Yesterday’s News.” Many asked what kind of music would come out of the Trump era, and without a doubt Anatomy is an injection of compassion which we so desperately need.