Changing Modes - Down and Out in Shangri-La New York band Changing Modes delivers their third album with a bang. Volcanic, energetic, and sometimes full throttle, Down and Out in Shangri-La moves beyond the avant garde, art rock sound of the band’s previous records. Using long guitar riffs combined with lead singer Camille Atkinson’s powerful voice, Down and Out in Shangri-La provides electricity in tracks like “Shangri-La” and “Vital Signs.”Changing Modes are nothing like New York’s other newly famous art rock band, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The arrangement and affected voice in the opening track, “Off the Radar,” is more reminiscent of the B-52s because of its high energy vocals and kitschy '80s inspired background. And that’s just the first song. Because on another song, Changing Modes does just that. They change their method and mode. “No Fly Zone” has a Sleater Kinney feel to it, and on “Ship,” Changing Modes goes for broke and scores a big song, calling up Ann Wilson and Heart.Lyrically, Changing Modes bring in outer space, dying, environmentalism, and the ideas of heaven and hell. In “Someone Anyone” one of the lines is: "You know all the lines at suicides and fancy dinners/wrap it up with some attitude." Down and Out in Shrangi-La is a chameleon, blending in and out with different styles, singers, and eras. This is one band that can thrash a stadium crowd or seduce a small club. One thing remains clear though; they have brought New York edginess back to rock music.” - Monica Teresa Ortiz

FEMINIST REVIEW

CHANGING MODES – Down And Out in Shangri-La CHANGING MODES – Down And Out in Shangri-La (self release) – A discerning mix of Dresden Dolls drama, Todd Rundgren flavoured complexity and something that leans towards a more traditional neo-prog sound. Wendy Griffiths has a voice to rival Amanda Palmer, those stylish keyboards and that song construction make it hard to avoid the obvious Dresden Dolls comparison – we make it in a positive way. Changing Modes are clearly an ambitious band, they’re from New York, they have some delightful slices of genuinely chewy progressive awkwardness in there with their very listenable blend of constantly shifting sometimes demanding earfood.” - The Organ

The Organ (UK)