Mourning September is good at what they do. The Tulsa, OK quartet's debut CD A Man Can Change His Stars has the witty, repeated phrases that get stuck in your head. It has the clever, well-written guitar lines. It has the multiple singers. But what it absolutely has to have is the ability to separate itself from every other band that they sound like—and though the CD is a solid genre-figurehead, the band's downfall is that it still needs to work harder to break away from its counterparts. "Every Dream" has a slick breakdown that's sure to move crowds at a live show. The CD's first single, "Glorietta," has that feel of an anthem that will have kids oohing along with the back-up vocalists. The CD doesn't fall short lyrically, but it's also what you'd expect from the genre of the band. Eight of 10 songs' lyrics could be read on lead singer Tony Chavez's online diary. The CD could have easily been written by another band in their genre, but that doesn't make it bad. It just needs a push in the right direction.
Editors' ratings — Doug 3/5, David 2.5/5
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis September 2004Reviewed by Phil NicholsIt was a dark and stormy night. The sun had almost completely vanished beneath the blood red horizon. Darkness softly crept over the land, hiding the rain clouds so that each liquid spear cast down seemed to be descending from an infinite, black abyss. Lightning flashed, illuminating the desolate sky, followed abruptly by rolling thunder, rending the silence and rattling the windows of Dr.…The Phantom Tollbooth 2004Reviewed by Barry NothstineEmo rock fans put on your Converse high-tops and head on over to the local music emporium to pick up A Man Can Change His Stars by the fresh new group Mourning September. You will like it. Yup. Mourning September is the latest addition to charge out of the impressive Floodgate Records lineup. Their heartfelt, dramatic, emotional rock will please fans of Dashboard Confessional and Further Seems…
