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This is Violent Change’s real pop moment, an album of lonesome romanticism on par with Shoes’ 'One In Versailles' and Chris Bell’s 'I Am The Cosmos.' I kid you not, this record is that good. A co-release of Melters and It Take Two.
Our take: Comparing a record to Chris Bell's "I Am the Cosmos" is a pretty ballsy move, but I'll be damned if this Violent Change record doesn't live up to it. You might be mistaken for thinking this was a hardcore record thanks to the band's name and the stark, black-and-white artwork, but really this is a lo-fi, reverb-drenched pop music. That being said, there's something of the spirit of punk here... even if Violent Change don't really sound like it, they sound connected to DIY punk in that undefinable way that you can just sense after years of being involved in the DIY scene. Anyway, this is one of those records that feels, at the same time, very ambitious and kind of loose and tossed-off; early Guided by Voices would be a really apt comparison, though I think that some of Big Star's recordings have a similar kind of feel (though much more hi-fi), and Violent Change even have a little bit of that boogie-woogie blues-rock influence that Big Star had. While those are the most obvious reference points, it doesn't really sound like either of those bands... it's very much its own thing, and if this record gets its hooks into you it will definitely suck you into its world and not let go. Perhaps not for everyone who reads this, but if this is for you you'll absolutely love it.
Our take: Comparing a record to Chris Bell's "I Am the Cosmos" is a pretty ballsy move, but I'll be damned if this Violent Change record doesn't live up to it. You might be mistaken for thinking this was a hardcore record thanks to the band's name and the stark, black-and-white artwork, but really this is a lo-fi, reverb-drenched pop music. That being said, there's something of the spirit of punk here... even if Violent Change don't really sound like it, they sound connected to DIY punk in that undefinable way that you can just sense after years of being involved in the DIY scene. Anyway, this is one of those records that feels, at the same time, very ambitious and kind of loose and tossed-off; early Guided by Voices would be a really apt comparison, though I think that some of Big Star's recordings have a similar kind of feel (though much more hi-fi), and Violent Change even have a little bit of that boogie-woogie blues-rock influence that Big Star had. While those are the most obvious reference points, it doesn't really sound like either of those bands... it's very much its own thing, and if this record gets its hooks into you it will definitely suck you into its world and not let go. Perhaps not for everyone who reads this, but if this is for you you'll absolutely love it.