The Flying Change

The Flying Change's Pain Is A Reliable Signal isn't your typical alt-folk record. It doesn't document whiskey bottles, prairie fields or porch-swing love. Instead, it uses the alt-folk genre to promote an unlikely message: doctors can be evil. Sort of. New York-based songwriter Sam Jacobs writes about the endless medical journey that Jacobs' wife has taken. Health issues, careless doctors and faceless bureaucrats become fodder for Jacobs' "landscape pop," which features grasping lyrics (as heard alongside wailing guitars on "St. Mary's") and despondent self-reflection ("Broken Bow"). The album's ten songs all relate to Jacobs' encounter with pain, suffering and unconditional love, leaving listeners with the realization that the alt-folk genre can also lend itself to the exploration of urbanity and its inherent complications.