The Small Change “Every Line In My Head”
Seattle’s The Small Change’s third album makes a loud rowdy riff driven statement. From the fading in on the opener “From The East Coast” to the pounding drums on “The American” the band’s garage jam sound has plenty of The Replacements, Elvis Costello and The Black Crowes influence baked inside. My favorite here is gritty sound on “Droppin’ Petals On The Way Down” and the song has a brilliant guitar break and chorus in the middle. Frontman Greg Collinsworth sings his heart out on each track, and I’m sure his voice is raw after a live performance. “Downtown in a Restaurant” is another Costello-like tune that rings true. The albums middle moves from power pop to pub rock smoothly, with “Celebrate” and a borderline Jerry Lee Lewis “Can’t Dance Witcha Honey.” The lack of any ballad or slower tempo material makes sticking with the entire album exhausting. But as an incentive, the band is offering the album as a FREE download on it’s website for a limited time. If you miss that opening or want a physical CD, you can always go to CD Baby.
Palmdale “Get Wasted!” EP
What do you get when you combine Kay Hanley (Letters To Cleo) and Linus of Hollywood? You get the beauty that is Palmdale. Full of big sweet melodies and Kay’s incomparable vocals, it’s an early season treat from start to finish. “Her Comes The Summer” opens with a with big infectious hook and her angelic harmonies. And it’s not afraid to use angular guitars with the 90’s styled “Pick Your Poison.” Every track here is wonderful, especially the heartbreaking put down ballad “Bound For The Floor.” Linus awesome guitar work and musicianship are flawless. This EP is a digital release only, but I was told a full length album is in the works. It makes another case for more collaborations of male/female duos, along with She and Him, Volume Two
The Palmdale EP is great, must have!