Changes

Album Review

Finding some middle ground between Something Corporate and the Fray, emo-pop upstarts A Cursive Memory make their major-label debut with Changes. Many young groups — particularly those that fall under emo's wide umbrella — don't seem to draw a line between the creation of their own music and the pitch-perfect imitation of their influences, and A Cursive Memory often wobble on that very edge. The vocals (shared by guitarists Shaun Profeta and Colin Baylen) are affable enough, yet they fail to give the band any real identity, as their mix of breathiness and nasality could belong to any number of similar groups. Where this band forges its own path, then, is in the production booth. Sharing a producer's credit alongside David Stone and Michael Suby, the bandmates turn down the tempting opportunity to coat every track in layers of guitars, stacked harmonies, and thick synthesizers. While other emo bands hide their sonic wrinkles with studio tricks, A Cursive Memory are content to give these songs space, allowing the summery melodies to gleam despite the lack of manufactured polish. Take "The Piano Song," a sparsely arranged ballad that, under the guidance of a different group, could very well be piled high with orchestration. Instead, the band presents the song simply, relying largely on acoustic guitar and piano (played solidly by Mark Borst-Smith, who may prove to be SoCal's next Andrew McMahon on future releases) to carry the lyrics' emotional weight. One gets the feeling that this is what A Cursive Memory sound like in concert, which is something their auto-tuned contemporaries can't always claim. Changes doesn't sound as progressive as its name suggests, but such a young group has plenty of time to grow.