The use of piano in rock music has consistently held a steady following, especially with the likes of Billy Joel pushing the form. In recent years, bands such as Keane, Ben Folds Five, Maroon 5 and Coldplay have come to dominate the airwaves and iPods with their piano-infused songs of widely varying rock caliber.
The Exchange, a Minneapolis-based band featuring UW-Madison student Jorge Raasch as keyboardist, main songwriter and backup vocalist, takes a cue from these popular bands with a heavy reliance on keyboards in their rock music.
Their new album, The Day Before, is a solid first full-length album, featuring many great songs and several other solid tracks. The album is a follow-up to last year's mini-release Aperture, with the albums sharing two songs.
The dynamic of the Exchange's music is unique due to their lack of lead guitar songs. With bass guitar, provided by Joey Ryan and Derek Jackson on drums, most of the traditional rock elements are present, but few of the songs on the album fit under the traditional rock music category.
Due to the lack of guitar, Raasch's keyboard skills lead the sound of the band; the majority of the songs have melodies based entirely on the keyboard. Some of the more successful cuts include \Orange,"" a driving rock song, and ""A Window Seat,"" a more melancholic, slow tune.
However, Raasch's greater talents come into play with his songwriting abilities. The Exchange's songs are lyrically sophisticated, with ""A Window Seat"" and ""In Summary"" featuring stunning lyrics and vocals, provided by Raasch and Ryan respectively.
The only real disappointment on the new album is the re-recording of two songs from the Exchange's previous mini-release Aperture. While ""Tale of Old"" is lengthened and improved to a small degree, ""Aperture"" seems significantly less polished in this recording than the previous release. There is also the question of why these songs were re-recorded in the first place, except perhaps as filler for the longer album.
At its worst, a few songs on the album suffer from a lack of distinctness, which leads to a monotony that, while not unpleasant, is also not very interesting.
However, at its best, the album features a number of truly intriguing, melodic songs that are universally appealing without being creatively dimmed for the masses.
In light of the recent surge in popularity of piano-inspired rock music, the Exchange's The Day Before fares well against some of its more popular competitors. With more exposure and an expanded song repertoire, the band has a good chance of gaining recognition in the music industry, as well as a wider following across the nation.
