Generationals detail new album: ‘Heza’
In the three years since New Orleans four-piece Generationals dropped their debut Con Law, the group has displayed a knack for writing tight, consistent pop rock with an R&B bent that engrains itself in the listener’s frontal lobe. From the updated take on Phil Spector in “When They Fight, They Fight” to the jangling, nonchalant bounce of “Ten-Twenty-Ten”, the band’s sound is the best kind of contradiction: fresh yet familiar.
On April 2, Generationals will release their third LP Heza on Polyvinyl Records. The band recently offered up the album’s lead-off single “Spinoza,” which can be heard below. Frequent collaborator Daniel Black has returned to steer the ship as the album’s producer. Check out a complete track listing and pre-order your copy of Heza on CD/MP3/Cassette or limited edition (1/500), neon red vinyl.
Track Listing
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Written by Rob Peoni
Video: Hanna Benn “The Lonesome Valley”
Since humans first grew capable of grunts and knee slaps, we have handed down songs from generation to generation. Along the road, the songs bend and take on entirely different incarnations, offering only glimmers of their original selves. We break them down and reconstruct them to better reflect and process our present environment. No matter how far a song may stray from its first breath, somewhere deep within lies its essence or soul – for lack of a better term – that is carried by each musician who paid it forward.
Below, watch a video of Indianapolis native and vocalist Hanna Benn performing her take on the gospel classic “The Lonesome Valley” at Seattle’s Land Management. A version of the track by fabled gospel quartet The Fairfield Four gained a wider audience in recent years after its inclusion on the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou? Though radically different, both versions prove stirring.
Benn is a music composition grad from Cornish College of the Arts and a member of the experimental, orchestral pop outfit Pollens. The Seattle band released its debut album, Brighten and Break at the end of September. The LP weaves complex vocal arrangements around deceptively simple melodies. It’s cerebral in a way that’s reminiscent of Conveyor’s debut from early last year, but much less quirky. Listen to the band’s single “Helping Hand.”
Benn returns to Indy this Thursday for a solo gig at White Rabbit Cabaret. I’m particularly excited as the bill also features local songstress Kristen Newborn and her project Ko. Both singers work in a similar space, looping vocals to create polyrhythms that serve as instrument as much as lyric. They’re also both North Central grads and talented as hell. I’m anxious to see whether any friendly rivalry fosters some inspired performances. Organ Grinder and Caleb McCoach will round out the line-up. For more information visit Do317. Check out Benn’s take on “The Lonesome Valley” below and grab a free download of some live recordings via Bandcamp.
Written by Rob Peoni
Fresh Track: Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes “Walk of Shame”
Melbourne’s Clairy Browne and her posse made a splash at the end of 2011 with the release of debut LP Baby Caught the Bus. The album showcased an aesthetic plucked unabashedly from the 1960s Billboard R&B charts, calling to mind Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone. Browne and friends fit in nicely with the stars of the soul revival circuit that has sprouted over the last several years, e.g. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Fitz & The Tantrums, etc. This week, Browne and the Rackettes released a new single entitled “Walk of Shame.” Name your price for a digital download of the track below. “Walk of Shame” is also being released on a limited edition split 7″ with fellow Melbourne retro rockers Saskwatch. Only 50 copies of this single will see release, so interested parties should act fast.
Connect with Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes via Facebook | Twitter
Written by Rob Peoni
Thought on Tracks 