'Things Change' -American Aquarium (Album Review)


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By Michael Momper

 American Aquarium, my new favorite alt-country group fronted by North Carolina singer/songwriter BJ Barham, are back with a completely new five-piece band and their most poignant and positive album yet.

Things Change is an extremely honest reflection on Barham's part, a rallying cry for hope around the current divisive political climate (giving songs like "The World is on Fire" an excellent Springsteen-style edge) as well as myriad reflections on relationships with friends and family and even blossoming fatherhood. The new album is a gutsy endeavor to be sure, as he is surrounded with a completely new band from the one that he grew up making music with and that helped give American Aquarium their reputation on the road. As a fan, I understand the hesitation to embrace this type of change when an almost completely new band emerges from the few remaining embers of a group you have come to know and love... especially after an album as absolutely stellar as Wolves, the old lineup's 2015 album and last effort together. But as Barham points out in songs like the title track and 'When We Were Younger Men', the past is irreversible and there are some punches you just have to roll with. I sure am glad he did.

The album begins with the aforementioned 'The World is on Fire', undoubtedly my favorite song in their entire catalog right now. It begins with Barham and his wife expressing their displeasure with the current political climate and noting a general feeling of hopelessness and despair that no doubt many Americans have felt. But rather than dwell on this confusion and let rage take form, the song truly reflects on our next steps and our search for meaning in times of trouble. "The load is heavy and the road is long.. we must go on into the darkness and be the light." It is so refreshing to hear positive messages of unity in times of deep societal divides. It can even be as simple as in the album's third song, 'Tough Folks', which reminds us quite honestly, "Tough times don't last, but tough folks do." Barham even employs the state motto of Oklahoma in one of my favorite tracks on the album, 'Work Conquers All'. A fun tribute to a great state, this song is complete with '80s country style, including a deep prodding guitar tone for honky-tonk atmosphere.

One of the biggest highlights of the album for me is the steel pedal work, done by Adam Kurtz. It has long been part of American Aquarium's sound, but Adam's work on the album is phenomenal and at times steals the show. In the second song, 'Crooked+Straight', BJ pens another great testament to the hope of Southerners who take bad luck time and time again and shrug it off with persistence towards the future. It is in this song that Kurtz's work really shines, and he also has a beautiful little hook in 'When We Were Younger Men', a warm reflection on the impact that Barham's former band mates had on his young life. 'I Gave Up the Drinking (Before She Gave Up on Me)' is a great up-tempo flavor for the album, complete with a danceable beat and joyful disposition- an additional display of Kurtz's tasteful flair within.

The album closes with 'Shadows of You' and 'Til the Final Curtain Falls', the former about lost love and the latter about eternal love. 'Shadows of You' is one of the standout tracks on the album with a comforting barroom atmosphere and accordion. The album closer is the only track I didn't get completely immersed in-most likely because I am not yet married and cannot wholly relate to the song's sentiment quite yet.

If you are looking for your next summer sound and are a country fan, look no further than American Aquarium's newest album- more substantive, reflective, and heartfelt than almost anything else you will find on today's top country charts.

Rating ====>        88/100

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