Geese are a tremendously talented band, but the singer is hard for me to get through. The band themselves sound incredible. I just find the vocals taxing. I gave the album a full listen and kept feeling like I wanted to like it more than I did. He has the personality of Vincent Gallo with a trust fund. There is a real disharmony between the band and the singer. If the lyrics were powerful or meaningful I would understand the contrast, but it often comes off like a loud person at a party demanding attention only to have nothing of value to say once you actually listen.
Getting Killed – 3.5. Around the 2:48 mark it finally clicks. He drops the Jagger affect and leans into a Vedder-like tone and it soars.
Islands of Men – 3.5. Again the band is excellent. The vocals are different here, more soothing, embracing the ugliness of his own voice in a way that finally matches the playing. They lock in and it feels purposeful. Then it drifts and starts to lose me. By around 3:41 there is an underwater shift, then at 4:00 I am reminded this band is seriously talented.
100 Horses – 2. Coming off Islands of Men I was hoping for momentum. Instead the vocals and lyrics slide back into what loses me. I want to like this band so badly. I dislike this song purely because of the vocals and writing, not the music.
Half Real – 2, maybe 1.5 straight through without the break. I had to stop this and listen to “Farewell Transmission” at the 1:02 mark just to reset. I wish Jason Molina had fronted this band. Rest his soul. It gets slightly better but I was checked out.
Au Pays du Cocaine – 4. I took a one-hour work break before this and maybe that helped. I liked this one. Cameron Winter’s voice bothered me less.
Bow Down – 9. Back to finishing this album. Do I need to take a week between every track just to get it? What am I missing. This sounds like a homeless man riffing about how he used to be in real estate before coke and gambling took everything. Lost his family, lost his mind, now reborn through God and playing outside Powell’s. And I believe him. The Lord is pouring through him. I have no idea what he is actually saying. It should not work. It absolutely works. It is filthy and holy and rambling and alive. When I started the track it was sunny. Now it is raining. Maybe this really is one of the best songs of the year or maybe I just took a secondhand hit from his pipe, because suddenly his sermon makes perfect sense from the steps of some imagined Maria throne.
Taxes – 4. Not everything can be a gem.
Long Island City Here I Come – 4. Closing song is just alright. The band is clearly gifted but the vocals and lyrics are still not for me. It feels self-indulgent. I hear hints of Bob Seger, Radiohead, Iggy.
Best song: Bow Down (eye opening to the potential of this band)