This is the fourth album from New York City’s based Changing Modes. The band members are: - Wendy Griffiths (keyboards, vocals, bass), Jen Rondeau (Theremin, keyboards, vocals), Grace Pulliam (vocals, percussion), Yuzuru Sadashige (bass, guitar, keyboard) and David Oromaner (drums, percussion, trumpet).
The music treads a nice line between 1980’s style American new wave (think Blondie, Talking Heads, and B52s) and some arty jazz rock. This is the first album that I’ve heard from the band and I have to say that I was impressed with what I heard.
The album kicks off with the title track, ‘Here’, which is a mixture of psychedelic organ sound and a guitar line that sounds not dissimilar to The Fall’s ‘Riddler’ from ‘Bend Sinister’. The vocals are echoey and set the mood perfectly:-“You are on the way to a better place; you are on tour way to a better place,
Better than here. Better than here. Better than here.”
In a way, for me, this sums up the austerity of the early to mid 1980’s, under Reagan and Thatcher in a succinct fashion.‘Moles’ which follows is a sort of fast strumalong, along the lines of ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’. Once again, the lyrics focus upon the darker side of life, the vocals edgy and uncompromising:-
“Your life underground is not what it seems,It’s worse than your strangest nightmares and better than your wildest dreams.”
Also:“But strange flowers grow where the sun never shines,
And lights cast a glow through the darkest shadows of your mind.”
‘Louise is a nice line in Blondie style power pop, however, the use of a Theremin adds depth and a different style to a song which without it would be a little lightweight musically. Once again, the lyrics are interesting: -“What goes on behind those dark eyes, where you go when I turn out the light? Strangers pass and every new day you’re at the window/Life goes on at its weary pace and you’ve got nothing to lose.”
‘Cell To Cell’ is a new wave type track, with a 1960’s style garage organ which adds weight to the track and makes it one with which you’d want to hit the repeat button on your CD player.
“You came along without a warning and I was captured in your magic spell/You made me blind you made me lonely, but I would do it all again and again and again.”
‘Embers Sweet' changes both the mood and the tone a little, being a slow psychedelic track that is dreamy and almost Floydlike: -“She stood upon her heart-bound hearth. A very predictable pattern unfolding/ She wondered who would light the spark, undaunted, enchanted and so familiar.”
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‘One’ is a classic pop song based around a nice keyboard and guitar melody, the lyrical content all about finding love with the right person: - “Wake me with your endless light, can’t you see what I’ve become/ Walk me through your welfare state, basking in the sun."
‘White Lightning’ (not the same as the George Jones song covered by The Fall) is a slow piano and horn based pop song that has some great lyrics that stick in the mind long after the song has ended:-
“She found some shelter in the calm before the storm/ She’ll wage a war but first she’ll have to put some knickers on/ Walk down her street into her door, you know the way you’ve been there twice before.”
‘Diving Bell’ is some fast melodic 1980’s style guitar/synth pop and is fine, although probably one of the weaker tracks on the album. ‘Strange Invasion’ rocks along in the same vein as The Kinks’ ‘Sunny Afternoon’, and again, the use of a Theremin is something that lifts the track: “Name your poison, you’ve all the time in the world. Strange Invasion comin’ on.”
‘White Room’ and ‘The Great Beyond’ are fine tracks that would stand up well on their own, but with the majority of what has come before, do not stand out significantly. The album ends with ‘Meow Situation’ which turns convention on its head, and shows that the band are more than able and willing to step well out of any comfort zone. This is a piano based jazz tracks with some seriously clever lyrics evocative of film noir:“She’s a trench-coated, waist-belted, high-heeled sleuth/ Skulking, waiting for you in a supper-club booth/ She leans in close with Virginia-Slim breath/ Slips you a novel called ‘Nine Times Death’.”
I have to say that I really liked this one. There was enough clever wordplay, changes of pace and style to prevent this from ever getting boring. Thirty years ago this would be the type of band that would have sold millions. Check them out. You won’t be disappointed.
Changing Modes on Myspace
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