The Hate Yourself Change

Neva Dinova

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 8, 2005)
• Original Release Date: February 8, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sidecho Records
• ASIN: B00079HZWK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #163,214 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist
Neva Dinova has been through several incarnations since 1992, when guitarist and vocalist Jake Bellows and bassist Heath Koontz began writing songs and performing. Its current lineup includes Bellows and Koontz, guitarists Mike Kratky and Tim Haes (who have been with the band since 1999), and drummer Rodger Lewis (who joined in 2003)

Sonically, the presence of three guitarists has allowed for rapid development of the band's trademark sound, marked by swirling countermelodies and assorted textures. It is around this musical fabric that Bellows' poetry-based lyrics are centered. Experiments in ambient sound give the songs impact, while the melody and lyrics act as tethers to reality, driving each songs direction and purpose.

Product Description
With the stripped down simplicity of a guitar and a voice, Jake Bellows, Neva Dinova’s leader, opens the album with "Hat O'er Eyes" and sets the mood: "He wears his hat o'er his eyes / And he's trying to keep it on / Says he's sick of living his life / And he's tired of being alone." From those first words to "I've Got A Feeling's" final barroom, sing-a-long power-chorus of "The world's a shitty place / I can't wait to die," Neva Dinova's The Hate Yourself Change guides you through an inspiringly despondent menagerie of musical mastery. Neva Dinova is a beloved Omaha band that first blipped on the nation’s radar when The Los Angeles Times called their eponymous debut one of the "Top 10 Releases of 2002." When they released a split-EP with Bright Eyes called "One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels" in the middle of 2004, we were reminded of just how special Neva Dinova and their lead-singer, Jake Bellows, are. Picture the better parts of Coldplay, Mazzy Star, The Cure and! maybe even Johnny Cash, mixed with a mid-western innocence and the type of melancholy that makes you tap your feet and hum along. Now wrap that up into eleven incredible songs and you begin to understand Neva Dinova's latest tour de force. Jake has deftly managed to write an album that is at once filled with lyrics of sorrow and despair as it is packed with musical interludes of hope and exhilaration. The Hate Yourself Change is destined to catapult Neva Dinova further into the realm of worldwide acknowledgment as it will make you wonder why the mindless synthetic rock of today's radio overshadows the honesty and integrity of bands like Neva Dinova. The fact is, Jake Bellows isn't a depressing guy, he just plays one on this record — and, fortunately for us, he does it exceptionally well.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great mature new album, February 17, 2005

By	Matt Stephens - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've followed this band for a while now, yet all of the CDs I've ended up buying by them have been collections of very good songs with mildly interesting ones sprinkled in throughout. Hate Yourself Change is different. Every song grabs you and makes you want to hear it again, just to make sure you heard it right. This CD really shows Neva Dinova's musical maturity, yet not losing any of that personal feeling to the music that makes you like them in the first place. Two of my favorites from the album would have to be "Can't Wait to See You" and "She Can't Change". "She Can't Change" really lays their band's composition open at the end, when they slow it down and then build back up, showing their instrumental layers as they layer three guitar parts and then the drums and it really catches hold of you. This album is a big step, very accessible and the ending makes you want more.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant....can't wait for more, April 29, 2006

By	Marc "mozfloz" (san diego) - See all my reviews

I'm not gonna go on and on about how perfect this album is. Anyone that has listened to it knows exactly what I mean when I say it is "melodramotically exceptional."

I heard it playing overhead in a music store and was instantly hooked. From the slow, to the catchy, each song will make you reflect on life's circumstances.

Do not expect an instrumentally complex album. It's simple, but very effective. The lyrics are, deep, rich and emotional...be prepared, this album will break your heart, then make you smile.

Mark

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Amazing Album, February 9, 2005

By	Matthew P. Durkin "college music student" (Potsdam, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I got this album before it came out in stores and really just sat down and listened to it last night. This album got me from the start with the acoustic opener. From then on, the album keeps building and building and the music just flows so easily and every song is emotionally charged. "Yellow Datsun" is probably the most upbeat on the album and is an instant earcatcher. The last song ends with a chorus of telling the world it sucks. I felt like, damn, what the hell, and then he comes back in to say, just kidding, i love you world, which leaves you with a smile.