State Dogs: Singles 2017-18

Album review

Though technically a compilation album, 2018's State Dogs: Singles 2017-2018, is essentially the fifth full-length album from New Orleans' Generationals. Following 2014's full-length Alix, the duo of Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer found they had become frustrated with the slow recording and release process normally associated with making a studio album. Subsequently, rather than issue a complete recording, they decided instead to issue a bevy of standalone tracks over a two-year period. Showcasing those nine songs, as well as an added tenth, State Dogs brings all of those separate tracks together in one place. These are buoyant, somewhat idiosyncratic productions that touch upon the duo's longstanding touchstones including off-kilter '80s new wave, '60s psychedelia, and their own brand of lo-fi melodicism. The opening "Keep It Low" brings to mind the twangy, '80s guitar pop of Dwight Twilley, while "Catahoula Man" sounds like a lost Teardrop Explodes song. Similarly, "Mythical," with its driving bassline and moody synth, evokes the college rock atmosphere of band's like the Psychedelic Furs and the Jesus and Mary Chain. Elsewhere, tracks like "It May Get Bad When You're Lonely and Cold" and "Silent Ocean," mix bright piano riffs, xylophone, and buzzy guitars, bringing to mind the work of similarly inclined contemporaries like Vampire Weekend and MGMT. As with much of Generationals' previous work, these are often low-key songs that take a few listens to really grab you with their subtle hooks. Nonetheless, they still hold together quite well, and make for a rather unified collection that fits nicely alongside the band's other studio albums.

© Matt Collar /TiVo