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Apr 09, 2013 Generationals By Frank Valish

In many respects, Generationals is the epitome of an indie-rock group. A duo unencumbered by extraneous personnel, New Orleans natives Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer craft their pop with equal parts melodic effervescence, twee charm, organic instrumentation, and synthesized drive. The band’s first two albums, 2009’s Con Law and 2011’s Actor-Caster, set the template, and with each successive release, the elements of Generationals’ pop have come more sharply into focus.

The opening track on Heza, the band’s third full-length album, is catchy and upbeat pop without even a hint of irony. “Say When” brings electronic elements, with bleeps and blurps that drive a bass rhythm before dissolving into skittering mayhem at the track’s end. “You Got Me” is a pulsating groove punctuated by an unintelligible spoken word piece that pulls one’s attention to the track’s background space, and “I Never Know” is driven by a funky electric guitar line. Elsewhere, “I Used to Let You Get to Me” is simple lo-fi guitar pop, and finally, the album ends with the almost New Wave “Durga II,” which strikes one almost like a radio hit from the ‘80s. With Herza, Generationals has perfected its a-little-bit-of-everything pop. Where Joyner and Widmer go from here is anyone’s guess, but they’ve reached their high water mark with Heza. (www.generationals.com)

Author rating: 7/10