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The Only
Children: Change of Living
"Fucking Kansas City, man! This place is nuts. There are drugs everywhere you go, and the screaming matches between hookers at 4 A.M are too much. Where can we go to escape this metropolitan madness? Wait, I got it. The high country, that's where it's at! The Rocky Mountains are calling, man! Sure, Your Majesty was a meticulously-crafted pop dreamscape, but we can't ride the gravy train forever." This is probably what Josh Berwanger was telling himself as he was mentally checking-out of The Anniversary and looking toward his next venture. Maybe he simply realized that there can be problems with being in a promising and much-adored band where he might feel obligated to play songs he out-grew musically, or that his band was signed to a shitty record label (Vagrant) at the time. Maybe he just got tired of seeing Ryan Adams hogging all that Americana glory. At any rate, Berwanger enlisted James David (on bass) and Christian Jankowski (on drums) both of whom played in The Anniversary as well as Heidi-Lynne Gluck (on vocals) for The Only Children's debut Change of Living. He also rallied the support of pedal steel guitarist Casey Prestwood, and T.K. Webb offers more than a few helping hands as he magnificently plays the guitar, banjo and harmonica on the record. While Berwanger has somewhat slowed his guitar playing and given his voice a slight twang with The Only Children, it's Prestwood and Webb who show that real heartland feeling with the contributions of their traditional folk/Americana instruments throughout Change of Living. Unlike many records that can be considered part of the genres of folk and Americana, make not the mistake of assuming that listening to this record should happen only on Sunday mornings. Change of Living can be enjoyed during night-time porch boozing with friends as well as during those long drives when the next best thing to picking up a weary hitch-hiker is to hear some songs that will help you get life's trivial matters off your mind. Two songs of this sort are "St. Graves" and "Girl with the Golden Hair," which each feature tender lyrics and docile melodies that those familiar with Your Majesty will undoubtedly appreciate, especially with "St. Graves" where the vocal harmonizing between Berwanger and Gluck are only sweetened by Gluck's gentle Wurlitzer alongside the slow pedal steel guitar and a moody harmonica throughout the song. Then, tracks like "West Virginia" and "The Circle Will Not Be Broken" solidify the validity of the newfound Campfire variation of Rock N' Roll found in Change of Living. These two songs, as well as a good majority of the others found on the record show how and why American roots music is so entrenched in the popular genres of today. This deep appreciation of something quintessentially American is what drives artists such as the White Stripes and Beck never to stop showing respect to the legends of Country and folk music such as Johnny Cash and Ramblin' Jack Elliot, respectively. Songs like "Lonesome Road" and "Jesus Came Late" are not quirky like songs found on Beck's One Foot in the Grave or Stereopathic Soul Manure, nor do they evoke the fire and brimstone images commonly found in The White Stripes lyrical content; yet each track remains earnest to a profound degree because of their aim to connect with American traditions such as pastures and westward travels. As a side note, both "Before It Fades" and the title track will inevitably bring about the occasional Is this the new White Stripes? commentary when you introduce the two songs to a new audience, so beware. Moving past this minor concern regarding the record's reception from new crowds, its real beauty is found in the communal vibe that it offers to the listener. That sense of community is lost with an overwhelming majority of contemporary music, where you find bands rushing to complete their next glossy release before the time and money allotments run out. You can almost picture the musicians recording at a leisurely pace, just as long as the job they're doing is done right; and with producer Marc Benning recording the group with an unhurried demeanor, few could say that the outcome would be anything less than marvelous. Change of Living reminds me of the episode of Matlock where "Ben" hires a hitchhiker (played by Randy Travis) to paint his house, only to find out that Travis's character can't paint for shit, but he sure plays some sweet notes on that guitar of his. At the end of the episode, Matlock and Travis have a miniature jamboree by playing together. I think they ate some fried chicken in that episode. Listening to this record makes me hope that The Only Children will get to record again together soon again and that they'll eat lots of fried chicken together as well.
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