Written by J, i, m, , f, a, r, b, e, r, b, e, Rautenberg, London
Many enterprising post-punk bands are in their 20s and 30s these days; the latest, Joseph King & Evelyn Oakley, have launched an ambitious project in the name of paying it forward.
The group’s self-titled debut album, recorded in a series of impromptu sessions and low-key gatherings around a local rooftop at the time of their 2012 record deal, is the first record from a band whose members have paid back the love.
Fittingly titled “The Forever Lasts,” it’s a collection of ragged, tough songs that draw on local heroes and nostalgic favorites, such as the Psychedelic Furs and Faces; songs that crackle with a captivating energy that is exciting to listen to.
Geese guitarist Sameza Felix in New York City
By 1992, just when the genre was becoming stale, this eleven-piece Brooklyn outfit were on the cusp of a new era; they described their metamorphosis as an album of “quiet fury” that brought together “assignment-of-attrition punk rock with shimmering hybrid electronic/dance sounds.”
Made up of pieces of each other’s disparate groups, Geese sound like a cross between a brass band and vintage TV advert. In their music — and their images — they boldly proclaim a series of increasingly bold political statements that challenge ideas about agency and ownership, including “Beautiful Fruit Thrown Like Jell-O,” a song about valuing being authentic.
Their rambunctious influence is also apparent in other long-running local acts such as Drones, which use their dark, distorted, glitchy post-punk guitars to speak to the kind of anxiety that comes from inhabiting this sometimes deeply painful area of the universe.
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Then there’s Noah and the Whale , who take lead vocalist Ed Drewett’s idiosyncratic and bewitching vocals and use them to create hypnotic, atmospheric indie pop. “On a World Wide Web,” from their second album, “Asleep,” stands out as an example of the much heralded connection between indie and experimental music, with its crafty atmospherics and haunting sounds.
Geese
If indie and experimental music are on the rise, Geese’ seven new songs should only be a sign of things to come.
With its groovy, distorted guitar riffs and spiky, madcap vocals that sound like they’ve just seen their car badly vandalized by a swarms of locusts, the new album is undoubtedly the most exciting thing to happen to Brooklyn indie-pop in a long time.
Geese are currently touring behind their debut album and are also working on an EP to support their upcoming American tour, including two shows in New York on March 27 and 28. In the meantime, they’re giving CNN Music a taste of their forthcoming comeback tour and are joining the release of 2015’s “Nylon Heroes Volume 2” with a performance next week in London.
