Grade: B

Concept albums are something that the indie and underground music scene have been seriously lacking in. Listening to "A Different Kind of Listening" brings all sorts of records to mind; "Tommy", "The Wall", and "2112" (that's for you Clark, even though I'm sure you won't read this). The difference of course is that the National Blue are NOT Gods of 60's or 70's rock. Still, the heart is in the right place, and for the most part so is the ear. This record is progressive enough to where it stands out amongst it's peers as something special, however the mere nature of their style is not one to blow us away as say with Don Caballero or Godspeed You Black Emperor. It's indie rock, and it's interesting enough to hold your attention for an hour and ten minutes, but it's not ground breaking enough to be the record you listen to every day. The few parts that do include vocals are the best parts of the records, with the staccato vocal patterns being laid down over smooth flowing music. Overall a very cool record, and an interesting band that will no doubt continue to do more and more inventive things with music.