DAVID KNUDSON

The Only Thing You Have to Change is Everything LP

Seattle guitarist David Knudson (Kuh-nude-son) has a twenty-five-year history of reimagining the possibilities of his instrument. Beginning in the ‘90s with the “evil math-rock” of his innovative hardcore band Botch and carrying on into the new millennium with the elaborate finger-tapped melodies and pedalboard wizardry of indie rock icons Minus the Bear, Knudson’s music projects have continuously showcased an exhilarating balance of forward-thinking experimentalism and undeniable hooks while collectively generating over a million albums sales. As the central creative force behind Minus the Bear, he succeeded in making the band one of the biggest touring acts in the indie world, playing sold out concerts across North America, landing slots at every major US festival, travelling the circuit across five continents, and making multiple late night television appearances. With his new LP The Only Thing You Have to Change is Everything, Knudson takes his genre-bending tech-savvy style to new heights with densely layered technicolor compositions that are at turns sublime, ecstatic, and exhilarating.

The Only Thing You Have to Change is Everything is a title that likely strikes a chord with everyone after the last two tumultuous years, but it rings especially true with Knudson. Grappling not only with his first foray into writing music outside of the band dynamic but with the much larger hurdle of newfound sobriety, Knudson found himself in previously uncharted territories. “This record wouldn’t exist without my sobriety,” Knudson asserts. “It prompted me to learn and embrace new passions like drum programming and engineering. I haven’t felt a burst of inspiration like this in a long time. Removing all the self-inflicted chaos and complications opened my eyes to real life and opened my ears to new possibilities.”

Knudson is quick to assert that The Only Thing You Have to Change is Everything isn’t so much a solo project as much as it’s a series of carefully curated collaborations. Working with producer/engineer Sam Bell (R.E.M., Bloc Party, Snow Patrol, The Cars, Weezer), Knudson continues his penchant for dizzying riffage and energized instrumentation while excising the full-band format in favor of intricately layered guitar, bold programmed beats, and Bell’s synesthesia-inducing production and textural flourishes. But Bell’s contributions to The Only Thing You Have to Change is Everything extended beyond the mixing console. “Sam constantly has melody ideas flying around his head,” Knudson says. “Early on, we thought we were making an instrumental record. We figured we’d use some of his melodies for additional guitar or keyboard lines, but at some point it became clear that having a voice sing them would make for a much more personal record—one that has earworms and hooks that keep coming back to you when the record isn’t playing.” Bell’s voice oozes with urban British cool, imbuing tracks like “Rewind It” and “(Don’t) Burn It All Down” with an unflappable sophistication. The album is further augmented by a variety of guest vocalists whose individual timbres help overlay their distinct pop sensibilities to the heady compositions. 

Armed with this broad palette of instrumental techniques, sonic approaches, and vocal characteristics, The Only Thing You Have to Change is Everything comes across like a cohesive multi-artist playlist. The album opens with “Varv,” where a crushing fuzz riff serves as the foundation for various mind-melting guitar manipulations, creating a soundtrack suitable for speeding through a neon wasteland in the dead of night. This segues into the Daft Punk-style robo-funk and deliciously warped guitar leads of “Rewind It.” From there, “The Sound of Love Returning” provides pure blissed-out panorama rock, with beds of chordal swells and tremolo-picked leads creating a perpetual orchestral climax that would drift into the stratosphere if it wasn’t tethered to our world by The Sand Band’s smoky lyrical melody. Further broadening the sonic spectrum, “Jealous Time Steals” features Jake Snider employing his trademark understated baritone over an ethereal indie-electronic gem. The textural delights continue on side two with tracks like the near-instrumental “Spaldo,” an invigorating marriage of shimmering guitar lines, dreamy backdrops, and stomping beats. “Medalle” is another highlight, a perfect aural comedown of dream pop buoyed by Bayonne’s after-midnight vocals. “It’s Not Over” wraps up the album with the trifecta of Julia Kugel’s lilting voice, a throbbing ‘80s synth-bass pulse, and nitrous guitars fusing together like memories of blurry late nights from long past bubbling to the surface.

Knudson has always had a knack for elevating and transforming the guitar into exciting new territories, and with The Only Thing You Have to Change is Everything he’s managed to continue pushing those possibilities while simultaneously making one of the most accessible works of his career. Paired with Bell’s production prowess, Knudson mines a seemingly inexhaustible trove of vibrant sounds and timbres out of his instrument and weaves them into a kaleidoscopic score for nearly every facet of modern life—from the wonderment of new horizons to the longing of some simpler age and everything in between.