The Changes

There's only so much mileage the Changes will get out of the outraged buzz about how they were the only unsigned act at this year's Lollapalooza, a fact that, to be realistic, bespeaks a travesty not of Iraq-invasion proportion but certainly pushing undisclosed-European-torture-chambers levels. Picture the Association — the evildoers behind the indefatigable dentist-office standby "Cherish" — dressed in white, doing a sort of hotel-ballroom rock thing, jerking animatedly forward and backward like the kickoff act for the Ten Tenors. The Changes could bill themselves as the Black Sabbath of twee, being that they're professionally engineered, musically correct, and subtly/gently but not overly pleasing, as in "this bagel was cream-cheesed correctly." And if that works for you (or if you're a stubborn indie geek who seeks bands to dump the minute a major label picks them up), you'll be a satisfied customer. Were this 1988, these guys would punt Spandau Ballet's ass into the cheap seats. — Eric W. Saeger