Indie pop rock hasn't given in to the sirens of marketing yet and Generationals is a living proof of that. The unlikely name, the minimalist cover and a first album that seems to be dealing with the constitutional law... They seem to have some serious protection against the latest craze and other crowds of groupies chanting their names.
The story started a few years ago with Eames Era, a band that got their own hour of glory with pop titles like "When You Were a Millionaire", that only Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer survived. Once Generationals was born, they had to go back to Louisiana where they originate from and got the brilliant idea of working with Daniel Black. That's how we get the very effective brass-guitar-keyboard trio that works wonders on Nobody Could Change Your Mind or Angrie Charlie. It works partucularly well for the first 5 titles and reaches a climax on When They Fight, They Fight, a very 60s-inspired title that was one of this summer's classics. Then the album seems to run out of steam a little bit and they don't seem to make the most of their initial great ideas.
Nevermind, their excellent EP will definitely make you want to see them on stage.

Con Law, Park The Van
Released on July 21, 2009

We can't be grateful enough for Radio K's active promotion of Minneapolis' numerous and talented indie pop artists. Vampire Hands is yet another example of those bands you get smitten with as soon as they break the surface.
Rumor has it that the whole thing started one evening in a Mansion squatted by a handful of Punks in need of a new thrill. And, to make a long story short, it turns out they recorded Hannah in the Mansion nearly entirely that night. To truly enjoy it, you'll have to show some perseverance. There's no giving in to easy ludicrous shortcuts and they definitely borrowed some psychedelism from the Beach Boys. But once you know that, you'll find that Eight Legs, Funny Stories and, best of all, No Joy, are like little nuggets you'll want to come back to when everything else seems to be falling apart.
To the best of our knowledge, Colin Johnson, brain and singer of the band, has decided to stop touring and devote himself to writing... Looks like those oddballs from Minnesota don't like to be in the spotlight.

Hannah in the Mansion, St. Ives
Released on August 14, 2009

All right, all right, I have been real slow one this one ! 3 weeks already since the album has been released and I haven’t said a word about it. I think living in Missouri might affect my connection with the Old Continent…
Anyway, it is all the more unforgivable as The XX is one of bands, if not THE band, not to be ignored this year. I still haven’t figured out how those 4 youngsters, coming out of nowhere and no older than 20, can have issued such a mature, ambitious and hypnotizing opus. All along the album, I have been on the look out for any rich-kid-faking-sadness faux pas but I finally had to admit that there aren’t any. Those guys are real and hardline. XX offers 38 minutes of extreme pureness : Oliver and Romy’s voices echoing each other’s, a few strikes of guitar and the magic of samples, that’s it, you need nothing more, you’re in heaven…
Sure, I could keep rambling on and on about the captivating atmosphere we’ve got here but XX is best experienced. So my advice would be to wait for the moon to rise, select Intro, Crystalized, Island and Shelter and be ready to activate the « repeat function » of your stereo ‘cause you’re gonna want some more !
And when you’re done, you’ll definitely be ready for bed !

XX, XL.
Released on August 18, 2009