Louisiana two-piece Generationals know how to experiment. But do they know how to get their experiments work?
Sort-of.
Their experimentalism could be a Radiohead-style reaction to their (literal) commercial success (the band’s music has featured on ads for Bloomingdales and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups). What’s good is that – three albums in – they are still willing to try.
Anyway, Heza opens with the deceptively punky Spinoza. This song and several other parts of this album sound like they’ve been recorded in a garage or a bathroom. If it’s genuine, then I love it. This is a good track and probably the best of the album.
That’s not to say it goes downhill afterwards, it just gets less accessible – more different. But different is good. Part of this difference is the extensive use of a Chinese-sounding chime motif. This is the enduring sound of the album, but it fringes on the excessive and even grating at times. Extra Free Year deploys these oriental chimes for the first time on the album. It’s a slower, more downbeat track but still attractive to the ears. Meanwhile, Awake, couples these bells with distorted vocals heard (as if heard from behind a glass waterfall). It’s an interesting track.
By track 5, Put A Light On, the clangs have taken on a rather industrial tone. And even though this is midway through, I was beginning to tire of them. Use more sparingly or more variedly next time please guys.
Contrasting with these tracks we have You Got Me, a Popcorn-inspired pop-a-long poppy pop sound that wouldn’t have been out of place as Commodore 64 loading music. I Never Know has a burst of upbeat blues, as does I Used To Let You Get To Me, which is a welcome return to accessibility at the tail end of the album.
Generationals are pushing boundaries. Not always successfully. But they needed to be applauded for it and nurtured as ones to watch.
7/10
by Rob Finch
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