The Changes
Florida EP
Self-released
the-changes.com

In this age of internet driven music consumption and distribution, a relatively new music platform has emerged: the digital only release. An increasing number of enlightened indie bands have realized that, rather than clinging to outdated notions that a record is only properly “released” when precious plastic and packaging waste is created, the whole process can be sped up by eschewing the production of a tangible disc altogether. I have mixed feelings about this; there’s still something to be said for album artwork, liner notes, etc., but if the digital floodgates opening means access to more minor gems like Florida, a digital only release of recorded odds and ends from Chicago outfit The Changes, then I’m all for it.

Anyone won over by the group’s critically acclaimed 2006 debut, Today is Tonight, will find more of the same delights here, albeit minus a bit of studio polish and with a slightly slapdash feel of assembly. Coming on like the pricklier and more highly caffeinated spawn of fellow Windy City sophisticates the Sea and Cake, The Changes' smoothly layered vocals and mannered keyboard fills are counterbalanced by often aggressive guitar lines and a frequently forceful rhythm section. Frontman Darren Spitzer’s nary a note-out-of-place croon works well with the material, whether the band is opting for spacey lounge leaning terrain (opener “If I Tried”), more highly charged pop (“Not Too Serious”), or an intoxicating hybrid of the two (“Why Did You Wait So Long?”).

Frequently opting for subtle hypnotic electric guitar patterns and percussive fills as the focal point of their songs rather than meaty hooks, a commitment to keeping things just left of center is obviously central to The Changes's mission. How else to explain the random insertion of spoken word clips from old movies into the more immediate charms of a dance pop confection like “You Want It”? As is to be expected from a collection of essentially recorded leftovers, Florida doesn’t play like a particularly cohesive album, but it’s certainly a welcome addition to what’s already been auspicious recorded output from a new band worth watching.

The Changes go to practice