Music Review: Geese’s ‘Getting Killed’ is the inventive Brooklyn band’s most accessible album yet
LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 鈥淭here鈥檚 a bomb in my car!鈥 Geese frontman Cameron Winter warns through blood-curdling screams on 鈥淭rinidad,鈥 the opening track of the band鈥檚 third studio album. The song 鈥 which boasts a guest appearance from JPEGMAFIA 鈥 oscillates between croons over bluesy guitars to abrasive instrumentation that match Winter鈥檚 shrieks.
LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 鈥淭here鈥檚 a bomb in my car!鈥 Geese frontman Cameron Winter warns through blood-curdling screams on 鈥淭rinidad,鈥 the opening track of the band鈥檚 third studio album. The song 鈥 which boasts a guest appearance from JPEGMAFIA 鈥 oscillates between croons over bluesy guitars to abrasive instrumentation that match Winter鈥檚 shrieks.
But the faint of heart need not be deterred. While interesting, 鈥淭rinidad鈥 feels out of place on 鈥淕etting Killed,鈥 the Brooklyn rock band鈥檚 most accessible record yet 鈥 despite its inventive deviations from traditional song structures.
That fits with Geese鈥檚 trajectory of late, following the distinct shift from the lo-fi post-punk of their early music to 鈥3D Country,鈥 their alt-country second studio album.
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Track two on 鈥淕etting Killed鈥 gives listeners a better sense of the album’s easy-listening fare, even if its lyrics are characteristically poignant and absurd. 鈥淏aby, you should be ashamed / You should be shame鈥檚 only daughter / Whatever he鈥檚 got in his hand / You can get it on your own,鈥 Winter sings on 鈥淐obra,鈥 a ‘60s soul rock throwback.
But even as the album evokes a feeling of nostalgia, expectations are subverted.
Take 鈥淚slands of Men,鈥 for example. Its intensity builds with the addition of trombones and assertive drums as Winter intones, 鈥淲ill you stop / Running away / From what is real / And what is fake?鈥 But the music completely stops about three and a half minutes into the five-minute track, then slowly resumes with barely audible lyrics and crescendoing instrumentation for the rest of the song.
The album鈥檚 titular track begins with upbeat chants and a bright, fuzzy guitar, contrasting the existential tension of the song’s message. 鈥淚鈥檓 getting killed by a pretty good life / I have been (expletive) destroyed by the city tonight,鈥 Winter sings.
Although much of the album is comprised of nonsensical and irreverent lyrics so characteristic of Gen Z, Winter鈥檚 froggy voice adds a gravity to each song, even if the meaning is opaque.
鈥淚 knew a man / He sat behind a desk that was a million feet wide / But he laid down his hammer and he died,鈥 he sings on 鈥淟ong Island City Here I Come.鈥
But what Winter sings matters less than how he sings it.
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鈥淕etting Killed鈥 by Geese
Three and a half stars out of five.
On repeat: 鈥淗usbands鈥
Skip it: 鈥淗alf Real鈥
For fans of: MJ Lenderman, Geordie Greep, existential dread but make it pretty
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