Almost a year ago, Benbecula came out with sampler of their first rock release. For a label that was predominantly, and doing well with, electronic, it seems like quite a shift in gear. Yet, the label was right in its choice with Genaro. Now the band, a word not heard to much in the electronic circuit, have added to that year old taster with their first eponymous LP, Genaro. The sampler was excellent; inventive and instantly liked by most that heard it. Did the highland lads hold onto anything to keep the quality of the album up to the same standard as the sampler?
Genaro have are an interesting cocktail of sound, or maybe ale to keep the Scottish theme. They are a rock group, there is no denying this; but they have something more to offer than others. Their lyrics have a power to them, their rifts are timed and choice and their usage of other instruments is inspired. Genaro opens with “Anyone Home,” a track of bleak, rainy Northern melodies and vocals with warm beats and flashes of distortion. The opener sets the tone for the album. “Garp 52,” one of the sampler triumvirate, is a ghost town rock number. The lyrics are exhausted, amplifying small town loneliness, as melancholic rifts mingle with playful strings. Immediately some might think that this is another teen angst album, for black hair and whitewashed walls, but this isn’t the case. “Walking in the Sun,” despite not have the vigour of its forerunners, is more upbeat with its hazy lyrics and drowsy strings. “Breakout” brings air and optimism to the record, with acoustics and a lighter tone.
Yet, the sunshine doesn’t last long as the clouds and rains of exasperation arrive with the political “Dark Corners of the Mind.” The track suffers from most social commentary numbers, with the theme bogging down the music. “Friends to the End” is a sombre track of departures and bitter inevitabilities with a deep arrangement and poignant lyrics. The final member of the original sampler “The Feeling’s Gone” is the centerpiece of the record. The track comes to life with gorgeous rifts, with beats sprinkled, before heady lyrics are introduced. It’s a piece brimming over with passion and emotion, and is as memorable as it is memory evoking. Utter brilliance. Genaro have the ability to take moody themes and create very catchy pieces from them; the soulful and energetic “Forward Motion” is emblematic of this. The album ends with “Throw it Around.” Strong guitars are at the basis of this slow, measured track which gives a sorrowful and ambient climax to the debut LP.
Genaro have achieved a rich, full album. Their sound is moody, but neither depressing nor elating; it is a thoughtful and conscious sound. Guitars are not intrusive but utilized beautifully. The album has a lonely solitude to it, a chill breeze and an intensity. The group have produced something that is universally tangible, an album of lonely tones but not in a gloomy way. The album is clever, it is deep, and it is different. Genaro may have some sounds that are similar to other rock groups, but they have used these sounds so well that they have created something completely new; something indistinguishable but unmistakable. Genaro are a new breed of rock band, embracing influences but not regurgitating them, using familiar sounds but adapting them to their message, creating something unique out of well known elements.
Genaro is available on Benbecula.
