As I’ve mentioned before, I’m going to try to refrain from posting hugely hyped bands here. However, as I’ve also mentioned, if I really like something, I’m going to post it, hyped or not (as the Swan Lake post shows). That said, although the Changes are one of the most often blogged about bands lately, I can’t help myself from writing about them, because I’ve been listening to them for the past three days, and I actually get the hype.

The Changes: “Her, You and I” (download)
The Changes: “On A String” (download)
The Changes: “Water of the Gods” (download)
Hailing from the Midwest (Chicago, to be exact — but don’t hold that against them), the Changes have been found on a lot of MP3 blogs over the past few months. Like a sizable chunk of bands that tend to get a decent amount of MP3 blog hype (Voxtrot, Kite Flying Society, The Pipettes, The Format, Sufjan Stevens, Tapes ‘n Tapes, etc.), they write pretty, catchy pop music that is, obviously, pretty hard to hate. But, unlike a lot of bands that write pretty, catchy pop music, the Changes don’t bore the shit out of me. You’ll have to pardon my crassness, but let’s be honest here — that stuff can be completely, mind-numbingly boring. Not true of the Changes.
“Her, You and I” is 6:14 minutes long, and holds attention for every second. Much like what I said I loved about Harvey Danger, it starts out simply, then becomes more and more chaotic as the tune progresses, finally bursting open, then returning to its earlier peaceful state. Their drummer is one of three non-mainstream drummers who really catches my attention (the other two being Tyson Vogel of Two Gallants and Chris Enriquez, formerly of OTMOP), and the reason why is shown most clearly on this song.
When writing about the Changes, most bloggers link to “On A String,” and for good reason. Who can resist a sparse jingle-bell opening? Also in the opening of this song, the frontman’s voice reminds me a lot of the singer of Band of Horses’ voice on “The Funeral” (download). (Speaking of which, I know it’s been months since that track came out, but, man. It still gives me shivers.)
Lastly, I’ve chosen “Water of the Gods,” because I’m declaring it the recently-single person’s anthem of the rest of the summer and early fall: “I need to be on my own again / I wanna be on my own again / gotta be all alone again,” they chant before asking, “don’t forget me if I’m far away.”
The Changes’ album, Today Is Tonight, is released on Sept. 26th, and I’ll definitely be picking it up, as should you. Their EPs can be purchased on their website, where you can find more information and MP3s, as well as on their myspace.