MusicHawk Member Blog

The Changes (Album Review, Tour Dates, MP3, more)

There's always been something about Chicago for me. I don't care about traveling to Europe, South America, Africa, even Canada. Something in traveling is completely lost on me. However, the great Illinois city of Chicago has always had a strong draw on me so great that I have at times said 'One of these days, I would like to move to Chicago.' How could a city have such a draw when I have not even actually been there? That, friends, is the question. I can only speculate that it may have something to do with the wealth of incredible music that emerges from this famed metropolis. Some of my all-time favorite groups (Owen, Joan of Arc, Chin Up Chin Up, Maritime) all hail from Chicago, but I must remember that not all of the midwestern greatness contained therein is limited to people who played in Cap'n Jazz.

One of the newest great groups to emerge from the Chicago bar scene is the Changes. The four-piece has recently released their debut album 'Today is Tonight' following their two self-released EPs via Drama Club in the US and Kitchenware in the UK. In 2005, they took the stage as Lollapalooza's only unsigned band only to find themselves with a label eager to release their LP very soon after. The resulting Chris Brickley-produced (R. Kelly, Wilco) affair is one of those rare pop recordings that makes me forget why I don't really like the Police, the reason being that the smooth guitar work and grooves can be accomplished without being so hit or miss. The Changes' bouncy reverb-soaked tracks seem effortless, which allows the record to be just as enjoyable in passing as it is with a careful, intentional listening. When I got a hold of this record and people started asking me about it (as it has lived in the stereo all week) some interesting opinions started to surface: 'It's like the Police without the reggae,' 'It's like I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness without all the foreboding doom,' 'It's like Tahiti 80 without the disco.' Now, while I agree with each of these descriptions, the Changes should be credited with making one of the easiest-to-like records in recent memory. They don't have any sort of polarizing quality: the Changes are not a love 'em or hate 'em kind of band. But that is not to say that they are not dynamic. Mark my words, these are some really really interesting tunes.

Can you dance? You certainly can. Will you dance? It depends. That's the beauty of 'Today is Tonight.' It can do what you want it to do. Can you work with it on in the background? Yes. Could you play it at your kickin' apartment dance party and not get yelled at by your jerk neighbors who have forgotten what it is to be young? Yes (and I recommend the standout 'Twilight'). Could you play it during dinner with guests wearing suits and be complimented on your musical choice? Yes. The Changes create melodies that are meticulous but not rigid, calculated but not overdeveloped. This is a band who will be creating interesting, engaging records for a long time to come.

Check out the links below and catch the Changes as they tour the east coast through the end of the month and early in November.

The Changes on tour

The Changes Links:
The Changes E-Card (Preview 'Today is Tonight')
The Changes free download of 'When I Wake' from 'Today is Tonight' via Insound
The Changes on NPR

Win the MusicExperience Contest!

The MusicHawk member who invites the most friends by the end of November (2006) will win a box-of-great-stuff named the MusicExperience!

Super-Star MusicExperience sponsors providing great-stuff are listed below and more sponsors are on the way!

Jose Gonzalez
The Pogues
East of Western
The Killers
The Changes
Goldfrapp
Phish
The Knife
Aretha Franklin
Dan Reeder
The Black Crowes
Jane's Addiction
Joshua Radin

 

The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me (Review, Links, Videos, and more!)

The Hold Steady is through and through a completely uncool band. They don't write the songs that make the whole world sing simply due to the fact that they are one of the most polarizing bands that I have ever come across. Either the soaring riffs and jangly piano keys really get your motor going or they make you want to jump naked into the middle of Lake Minnetonka. Vocalist and songwriter Craig Finn either strikes you as an earnest wordsmith attempting to communicate honest feelings of loneliness laced with drunken debauchery or he's a nostalgia-crazed washed up thirty-something who smokes (or smoked) way, way too much pot.

Regardless of your personal opinion of Finn and his Hold Steady crew, it's always worth a shot to see what the critics are talking about. Sometimes it's something really special. This, I'm convinced, is the case with the Hold Steady. Despite some harsh words pointed in their direction ('They're pretentious!' 'Their vocalist sounds like Kermit the Frog!' 'How could anyone survive drinking that much beer?!' 'Crucify him!,' etc.) it fascinates me that this band has garnered so much positive attention. As a new fan, I bought their new record 'Boys and Girls in America' on the strength of a glowing Pitchfork Media review. Upon first listen, I really didn't know what to do with the thing. Is there a place for a bunch of older (or oldish) guys writing bar-friendly guitar licks the size of skyscrapers about high schoolers popping pills and making out in detox tent bedsheets? I guess there is, but if you had asked me that on October 1st, I probably would have said no.

The Hold Steady caught their break with 'Separation Sunday,' the critically adored predecessor to the staggering 'Boys and Girls in America.' A loosely conceptual album based around three characters named Charlemagne (no relation to the Carolingian monarch), Gideon and Holly. The characters make an appearance in the 'Boys and Girls...' ballad 'First Night.' 'Separation Sunday' is certainly a record of the highest order, a truly fantastic rock and roll album, but I'd really rather focus on the new record for our purposes here. I would admonish you to buy the new Hold Steady record. Please buy it (but if you want two extra bonus tracks, buy it on iTunes).

'Boys and Girls in America,' out now on Vagrant, is a record full of shameless alcohol consumption and loose morality on the part of young kids 'crushing one another with collosal expectations,' as Finn sings on the opener, 'Stuck Between Stations.' While that may be less than appealing subject matter (or incredibly appealing subject matter) for some listeners, the depressive element of the songs is far outweighed by their charm. I went to private school and grew up in a conservative Christian home. As thus, I didn't have the same high school experience as the guys in the Hold Steady. I never had a 'pipe made from a Pringles can.' But these songs have managed to induce nothing less than a loving, relational feeling. I sit down with the characters, I hear them cry for joy and in pain, I commune with them. I know it may sound strange to enjoy a record from an experiential standpoint, but 'Boys and Girls...' is a record that doesn't work like other records. They aren't going to blow you away with musicianship, but the Hold Steady is going to blow you away with intelligent songcraft.

Then again, this band might not blow you away at all. Like I said, they're almost unreasonably polarizing. But it never hurts to try. If you're anything like me, you'll love the journey and eat up every word.

The Hold Steady Links:
The Hold Steady presents 'Boys and Girls in America' - Album Stream
The Hold Steady Interactive Video Community
The Hold Steady Personal Blog
The Hold Steady 'Your Little Hoodrat Friend' Music Video
The Hold Steady 'The Swish' Music Video

MusicHawk Member Sighting @ Disneyland!

A MusicHawk member was recently sighted at Disneyland! Looks like he's having one of those life changing conversations....