Quirky and fun are two words that best describe the feeling I get whenever listening to the latest album by New York’s Changing Modes called Aeroplane. The band conisits of Wendy Griffiths (keyboards & vocals), Yuzuru Sadashige(guitar & bass), David Oromaner (drums) and Christie Williams (vocals).Their sound is rooted in a blend the new wave art-rock scene of the 80's as well as experimental and post-rock. Every time I listen to this album, I keep thinking of what would happen if you blend the Sparks and Thinking Plague together. With this blending you get the basic idea as to what to expect with Changing Modes' music.
All the songs of Aeroplane has, again that fun and quirky even memorable feel to each of them. Most of the songs are between the 2 to 4 minute mark with the exception of the 7 minute song called “Arnold”, which recalls a Beatles-vibe. There are some more straight forward style songs but in no way does this make the band a commercial band. There’s so many songs on this album that I enjoy. The highlights for me are the aforementioned, “Arnold” as well as the title track, and “Traces of You” to name a few.
If you’re still not sure, you can visit the band’s website for a link to their MySpace page which has four (4) full songs for you to hear. It’s those songs that made Changing Modes' music something to seek out. There's one phrase, quoted by band member Wendy (singer & keyboardist) that best sums up the description of the album. She says “I like 'Aeroplane'- it's retro and futuristic, complex and fun, and it has a metallic kind of energy.” I couldn't have said it any better! I would recommend the album especially to fans of the more open-minded and experimental side of rock music. I know I will be keeping a close ear on this band!
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on January 17th, 2006
