Words by Naomi Blumberg

I like bands that keep you guessing. The Nationale Blue’s songs are like cleverly crafted episodes of The Simpsons: you aren’t exactly sure how you get to where you are at the end, but when you trace it back to the beginning you sit back and say, “Hey, that’s brilliant.” The Boston-based band is, or was, at least, when it was recorded, Reuben Bettsak, vocals and guitar, David Altman, bass, Jeff Barsky, guitar and vocals, and John Briks, drums. After touring this album through Europe this summer with another Boston favorite, Helms, the Nationale Blue came back to Cambridge to have one last show before commencing an indefinite hiatus. It’s a shame, too, because the six songs on this Split CD embody a sound that the band seems to have perfected, of meandering, intensifying, layered instrumentation.

“Traces Lost,” a perfect example of the band’s musical complexity, makes the listener feel as though they’ve stood facing the eye of the storm, been swept up in it, and let go to bask in the calm aftermath, that being Lori Murphy’s ethereal vocals added on, unexpectedly, at the end of the track. The band has been characterized as post punk, prog/math rock, perhaps emo, but there is nothing predictable about their style, whatever you call it. Their consistent experimentation with rhythm and otherworldly sound effects, especially Barsky’s and Bettsak’s incredibly versatile guitar playing, give The Nationale Blue an edge and demonstrates the talent and diversity brought to the table by each member. There are moments when you may be convinced they’ve gone entirely astray, but Briks’s insistent percussion and Altman’s driving, and far from subtle, bass lines keep it together, providing the structure necessary for “compositions” so very textured. The Nationale Blue are earnest and passionate, and they will not bore you; and this one’s only six songs. And, unfortunately an import, shared with the European Translation Of, a totally likeable Bavarian punk band (Millepede Records, 2005).