Since forming nearly 50 years ago, The Seldom Scene has
brought both freewheeling joy and immaculate musicianship to their inventive
take on bluegrass, offering up spirited interpretations of songs from limitless
genres. On their new album Changes, the band sharpens their focus to a highly
specific body of work: songs first recorded in the 1960s and very early ’70s,
rooted in the archetypal storytelling of classic singer-songwriters. And in
taking on the music of iconic artists like Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt, The
Seldom Scene perform a sort of subtle magic: transforming the most
stripped-bare songs into harmony-rich and elaborately arranged compositions,
while wholly sustaining the charmed simplicity of each piece.
Lifted from a soul-stirring version of Phil Ochs’s most
celebrated love song, the title to Changes also reflects a major shift for the
band: following the 2016 retirement of banjo player Ben Eldridge,
On Changes, The Seldom Scene more than proves itself up to
task, gracing every song with breathtaking instrumental interplay and heavenly
three-part harmonies. Co-produced by the band and Rounder Records co-founder
Ken Irwin, the album also spotlights The Seldom Scene’s sheer ingenuity as song
arrangers, with even the most starkly composed tracks taking on wondrously
intricate textures and tones.
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