New Orleans indie pop duo
the Generationals
' 2011 sophomore effort,
Actor-Caster
is a veritable mixtape of '60s pop and '80s new wave sounds that manages to be a bit more cohesive than the band's 2009 debut,
Con Law
. As with
, listening to
is like checking out a great compilation of old-school pop tracks that run the gamut from the '80s dance-oriented lo-fi sweetness of the
Adam Ant
-sounding
"Ten-Twenty-Ten"
to the synth pop meets
Ramones
balladry of
"Yours Forever"
and the '60s reverb-laden girl group cut
"You Say It Too."
The main difference is that the songs seem to be more of a piece this time, with each song giving off a moody, hazy vibe that's never too sad for singing along. In that sense, the duo of ex-
Eames Era
members singer/guitarists
Grant Widmer
and
Ted Joyner
-- with their double-tracked vocals and laid-back delivery -- will draw favorable comparisons to such contemporaries as
the Shins
Field Music
. Similarly, such bouncy guitar pop cuts as
"Goose & Gander"
and the echoey midtempo anthem
"Tell Me Now"
bring to mind a mix of such '80s cult favorites as
Orange Juice
Aztec Camera
. Like a forgotten mixtape found while cleaning out your car,
is a pleasantly bittersweet surprise. ~ Matt Collar