From the ashes of Lawrence, Kansas' beloved emo rockers
the Anniversary rises
the Only Children, a sextet fixated on the holistic vibes of vintage
Neil Young,
the Band and
the Allman Brothers. And from its title to its execution, principal songwriter and frontman Josh Berwanger makes no bones about the disc's sound shift, launching
Change of Living with "Sky Begins to Storm," a gin mill ballad that features the sweet harmonies of
Heidi Gluck. The album's namesake has far different pacing -- it's a
Lynyrd Skynyrd-esque whiskey-saturated Southern rock romp complete with cowbell -- but the bulk of the set is far more subdued. Of the material, "Before It Fades" stands out with the help of country-blues fretman
T.K. Webb, and while Berwanger's songs are good, his convincing, lovelorn pipes are what sell "Through the Night" and "West Virginia." Sure, leaving the Vagrant Records stable for the alt-country world is a drastic move, but
the Only Children seem to champion change. ~ John D. Luerssen