Taking nothing worth remembering from the musical equivalent to a massive train wreck, the colorful album artwork is about the only thing that stands out on the indie-pop quartet A Cursive Memory's debut album Changes. Unfortunately, the artwork was not even created by the band.
The album is a total departure from the change it promises. While the quartet hints at having potential to be decent, their sound fails to connect and results in a disappointment.
There is no spark of electricity and a complete lack of intense guitar riffs or catchy tunes throughout the entire 45-minute album. Instead, there are songs filled with repetitive choruses followed by repetitive chunks of clich?(c)d and tacky verses. There is no distinction from one song to the next.
With vocals comparable to that of whining teens and unrelenting squeals equivalent to a teakettle at boiling point, this is certainly not "easy" listening. And let's not forget to mention the guitar, keyboard, and drums, which are as stagnant as a washing machine rumbling on a high spin cycle.
None of the songs seem to hold any deep emotion, desire or passion. It sounds as if they made a bunch of cookie-cutter song titles and then wrote the same cheery chorus hooks 12 different ways.
Audiences that are looking for an invigorating jolt of musical talent will be disappointed, as the band fails to match up with the high-concept pop angle their music is sold on.
With uninteresting track titles like "South," "Changes," "Figure Out," "All the Weak," and "Everything," this band seems to have all the answers to their problems spelled out in their song titles, making it unnecessary to listen to the full tracks.
It seems that "Everything" really goes "South" from the get-go on this atrocious album. This band should "Figure out" their identity and try to make some "Changes" within their band, so that they can eliminate "All the Weak" elements that make them sound bland, boring, and dull.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
