The Sounds of Change is the second full-length release for this Southern California quintet. The album was originally released in 2001 on Takehold Records and has recently been re-released on Hopeless Records. Produced by James Wisner (Further Seems Forever, Dashboard Confessional).
Well back in 2001 Decapolis posted two reviews of "The Sounds of Change" when it was originally released by Takehold Records. The album has been re-released and will now be nationally distributed by Hopeless Records. We were serviced with another copy of the release so we figured we would re-post the reviews we had back up in 2001 since we still pretty much have the same opinions of the album.
The guys in Stairwell have delivered. With "The Sounds of Change" the band has progressed an astonishing amount when compared to their first full-length. This is definitely one of the best pop albums I have heard this year (2001). It's catchy, it's intelligent and it's not boring. The production is right on and the songwriting is steps above many of the other bands in the same league as Stairwell. If you're a fan of pop music you definitely need to give this one a listen.
B+
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis March 2003Reviewed by Brett Miotti"The Sounds of Change" is full of catchy hooks and memorable melodies. Singer Jonathan Caro knows how to craft instantly hummable melodies and deliver them with polish. It doesn't hurt that the strong harmonies by Zak Shultz add a nice fullness to some of the choruses. The band has taken what they created on last year's "Pacific Standard Time" and improved it. They even branch out a bit on songs…Decapolis 2001Reviewed by Tom BastianThe guys in Stairwell have delivered. With "Sounds of Change" the band has progressed an astonishing amount when compared to their first full-length. This is definitely one of the best pop albums I have heard this year. It's catchy, it's intelligent and it's not boring. The production is right on and the songwriting is steps above many of the other bands in the same league as Stairwell. If you're…Decapolis 2001Reviewed by Brett Miotti"The Sounds of Change" is full of catchy hooks and memorable melodies. Singer Jonathan Caro knows how to craft instantly hummable melodies and deliver them with polish. It doesn't hurt that the strong harmonies by Zak Shultz add a nice fullness to some of the choruses. The band has taken what they created on last year's "Pacific Standard Time" and improved it. They even branch out a bit on songs…Similar sounding releases
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