Photo by Akasha Rabut
Three albums in four years is a pretty quick clip for even the most prolific of bands. Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer–co-frontmen for Generationals–have constantly been in the write-tour-write cycle since forming the group in New Orleans in 2008. But for album number four, the two decided to take a step back and consult an outside producer. They tapped Richard Swift, a wise choice considering the impact he’s had on the sounds of the Shins, Damien Jurado, Foxygen, and more the past few years. The duo took their home-recorded demos to Swift, and he largely left the off-the-cuff urgency intact. The result is Alix, another genre-melding mish-mash from the appropriately-named Generationals. Bits of hip-hop and soul surface in “Gold Silver Diamond,” and the song is carried by the band’s unique gift for sing-songy melodies that sound like they’re beamed in from some ’60s bubblegum song. It’s a weird mix of styles, but Generationals can call it their own.
