After some serious distance (why??) I have finally listened to Miles Kane’s latest solo record, Change the Show. In the lead up to the album’s debut, several singles had been released, which I’m sure you read my two cents on at the time. Now though, I’ve got the whole picture and eleven tracks worth of jams. Let’s go!
Overall, the record had a really big band type sound to it. Almost like it could have successfully thrived in a completely different era. The 50’s perhaps? Regardless, it was a refreshing sound coming from Kane, who has managed to transform himself on each record he’s released over the years. Heck, he can even morph himself on side projects a guest slots! You get a completely revitalized artist in so many different contexts and that’s pretty damn neat! What I also love about all of his albums is you can tell on his social media and music videos how amped he is about his new stuff. You can tell he loves it and is passionate about, so it can’t be helped if that feeling rubs off on listeners a little bit. I can say that was the case for me at least. Because yes, I enjoyed a number of tracks off this album, but the sound as a whole is not something I would typically gravitate towards.
When I think of Miles Kane, I always think of licking guitar riffs, but what I felt stood out the most on this album was the presence of the saxophone, which Kane also plays. How impressive! Songs like the lead single, “Don’t Let It Get You Down” and “Never Get Tired of Dancing With You” is where I thought the instrument was really showcased, and I think it made the songs better for it. Most of Kane’s songs sound like they could set a jazz club off, and that’s what I pictured in my head most of the time while listening to this album. It doesn’t hurt that via Youtube I’ve seen the incredible stage presence Kane has, but this mainly upbeat record should play perfect to a crowd. “Change the Show” and “Adios Ta-Ra Ta-Ra” could have both been perfect closing tracks on this record, but the latter really does nail it with its outro. Also, for “Change the Show,” my inner Letterkenny super-fan got really excited and laughed a lot when I heard the phrase “pitter patter” sung.
If I had to pick my favorite tracks off the record it would have to be “Don’t Let It Get You Down” and “Caroline,” which makes Kane seem really smart for picking these instantly catchy and upbeat songs as singles. I also felt like they represented the sound of the rest of the album really well. With that being said, the chorus of “Caroline” still reminds me so much of Kings of Leon’s “Supersoaker” – oh, well! On the opposite end of the spectrum, the slower tunes like “Tears are Falling” and “Coming of Age” just didn’t appeal to me that much. And sorry, but Foster the People’s “Coming of Age” will always be superior to my ears. Overall though, I found my feet tapping to almost every single song off this album, and that’s a great accomplishment.
If you like Kane or any of the acts he’s associated with, you should definitely give Change the Show a listen. Who knows, maybe it’ll get you into another era of music!