Broken Base: A standout example. Some fans were not happy (and remain unhappy to this day) with Foiled, which was a musical and production shift from their first three albums. Yet Foiled made the band famous. Compare fans of Metallica's 1980's work who remain upset to this day over the Black Album.
Creator Backlash: In the liner notes of Any Man In America, Justin admits that he says some things throughout the album that he is not proud of, yet he feels this is an effective way to convey his point of view of the divorce that split him from his daughter and his ex-wife.
Dissonant Serenity: "Chameleon Boy" has a relatively silly title, but the song is seemingly about bipolar disorder and is very solemn. "Into The Ocean" is a bit of an uptempo song with serious overtones about suicide.
Face of the Band: Justin Furstenfeld is the lead singer, the lead songwriter and many of the songs are about his life and experiences.
High Octane Nightmare Fuel: At least one song on each album contains this, but "The End," the last track on Approaching Normal, is a Trope Codifier. The song is sung from the vantage point of a jilted husband, who creeps up to the doorstep of his own house, and sees his wife (or possibly ex-wife) having sex with another man. The husband, clearly upset, BREAKS INTO HIS OWN HOUSE, kills the man, the wife and himself in succession.
Narm: "The Flight" is a Tear Jerker, but then the chorus comes in, and well... it's not.
Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped: While not a consistent example, Blue October's music tends to spotlight how "subjective" someone's mental condition can be at a given time.
SomeAnvilsAreDropped with Any Man In America, in that divorce can be far more hard-hitting to a male, particularly a father, than a stereotype suggests.
They Changed It, Now It Sucks: Any Man In America features Justin rapping, in high contrast to their previous work which mixed mid-tempo rock songs and ballads. This is likely to divide fans.
Wangst: Considering the subject matter. Slightly averted when Any Man In America debuted at #8 on the Billboard chart, the band's highest-charting album to date. At least they can say they had a Top 10 album.