Pain Is A Reliable Signal

The Flying Change (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 19, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Scarlet Shame Records
• ASIN: B001UDY2PK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #735,399 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT ALBUM!, December 15, 2009

By 

Anthony J. Diclemente "Anthony DiClemente" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pain Is A Reliable Signal (Audio CD)

Pain Is a Reliable Signal is the best new album I've heard all year, and I say this without caveat or excessive hyperbole. The songwriter and producer unite here to artfully meld a host of rich sounds together to create an lush, epic, and (at times) moving sound. While the tone and content of the songwriting can feel mournful at times, TFC's thematic message and heartfelt melodies offer a positive call to action that resonates in a way that keeps me coming back to this fine album again and again. While Broken Bow and St Mary's are my standby favorites, Hold My Heartache is perhaps as emblematic as any of the album's tracks, this a haunting melody that muses about we "chase our bliss back into pain." As you move throughout this artistic journey, The Flying Change doesn't preach, it doesn't burden, it doesn't try too hard. All it does is provide listeners a window into our emotions, both delicate and powerful. Enjoy it, time and again.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American music for the modern age, December 15, 2009

By 

D. A. Douglas (Miami Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pain Is A Reliable Signal (Audio CD)

The Flying Change has put together a fantastic record with a story, reminiscent of the great American rock 'n roll of the late 60s (CSN) down to the 'revival' period of the late 90s (Wilco). The comparisons are evident with a driving folksy timbre of the sounds, as well as a cohesive theme throughout the tracks. However it blazes its own path with the recording and song structure for the modern age. Paul Brill the producer masterfully incorporates electronic elements, synth walls and perfectly placed effects on the vocals; all of this reminds the listener that this sound is the next step in American rock music. Singer/songwriter Sam Jacobs has a future with this new musical direction.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expressway to yr soul, December 15, 2009

By 

M. V. C. Alexander (New York City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pain Is A Reliable Signal (Audio CD)

Sam Jacobs, the leader of The Flying Change, writes beautiful songs full of imagery. The songs are soft and subtle one moment and deeply penetrating the next. It's an explosion of sound and fury: horns, strings, percussion, and emotion. Landscape pop. Let me tell you about some of my favorites.

Broken Bow. This song must be heard live. It just builds and builds and builds. I wish I could remember all the words. So evocative. "These citizen smiles; they don't know me, or How I want you. My secretive styles...well I trust them, I trust their wisdom." This is probing at the very core of how we communicate. How we cloak ourselves. How we reveal whatever we choose to reveal, and the relativity of meaning. This might all sound obscure until you hear the lyrics against the swell of sound. It is a wonderful song.

The Way That We Destroy Yourselves. This song rocks very hard. In contrast to the mysterious subtlety of Broken Bow, this one's a hammer. You will enjoy getting hammered. "And I saw you, with your cemetary rose"...[and later]..."with blood coming out your nose!". EVERY POET PROMISE IS A LIE. What a line. Is that cynical or breathtakingly honest? Methinks both.

St. Mary's. As the first line tells us, this song is about love. An ineradicable, nostalgiac love for something that's long gone, something that'll never pay you back. But you still can't shake it. "When no one's listening you do / When I'm on fire you're cool / When I was fixing you're smooth." THIS IS A LOVE LETTER. That one line can stay in your head for literally weeks.

I could go on, but it would probably be more effective if you just bought the album and listened for yourself, dear reader. It is well worth it.