Inconsistent but very good in parts...
I recently decided to part with about a dozen dollars to get the CD (used). I've had the MP3 versions of every song on this album since the old Napster days. No, it's overall not as good as Further -- and aside from the vocals, it doesn't even sound like the same band, either. But several of the songs on this are so great I just had to have it in CD form. I'll make this short and sweet.
Recommended if you like: Remy Zero, Turin Brakes, The Autumns
EMINENTLY worth buying for: Dollars in the Heavens, Killing Stars, Amnesia Valley, Guidance System, A Place in the Sun.
It could only have meant the end
' Similar to Suede, Geneva charted more celestial territory, and the primary attraction was Andrew Montgomery's soaring falsetto vocals. Scotland's Geneva were, for a flash, a band that showed enormous promise, arriving on the scene in 1997 with a striking slew of singles in handsomely designed sleeves-within-sleeves and an ethereal debut album, 'Further.
After their debut buzz, Geneva disappeared for three years and returned in 2000 with 'Weather Underground,' and oh what a disappointment it was. Overproduced, overmixed, and just generally overwrought, trouble sets in early on this album. "Dollars in the Heavens" constitutes a fine opening track, grabbing you with its sharp hooks and setting you afloat with its spacey imagery and sounds, despite some preachiness and heavy-handed lyrics (a mere shadow of things to come, as it were). Next up, though, is "If You Have to Go," a droning drag that sounds like an album closer (or worse, the sad theme to an adolescent romantic drama starring Claire Danes). Recovery is imminent, though, with track 3, the gripping and eerie "Killing Stars," Geneva's take on California's Heaven's Gate cult, which wiped itself in 1997 for a free ride on the comet Hale-Bopp. Sadly, the album dives into the mud again with "Museum Mile" and never returns to the surface. Some tracks start promisingly enough, and then go nowhere fast. You can very plainly see what Geneva are trying to do in songs like "Rockets Over California" or "Morricone," and that makes these failures all the more embarrassing.
This is a terrible album; messy, pretentious, unwieldy, and virtually unlistenable. It is only right that Geneva stopped recording after this album's failure, as to do otherwise would have made them appear fools. Montgomery's vocals, while they were breathtaking on the debut album, given the support of good songmanship, are absolutely cloying here, and there's this sickening preciousness about the whole affair. There's an "Aloof Mix" of the final track, "Have You Seen the Horizon Lately?," on one of the singles associated with this album, and it has a discernable melody and shape, unlike the album version. In fact, most of the songs on 'Weather Underground' sound like remixes instead of original recordings. Perhaps what this work needed was a little more 'aloofness. '
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Excellent follow up
If You Have To Go quickly became my favorite song with it's gorgeous lyrics and music. I had been waiting to buy this cd for ages and when I did I wasn't disappointed. Combined with the soaring vocals and it is practically the most beautiful song ever written. Cassie is my second favorite song though in a different vain that I. Y. H. T. G. It's more poppy sounding with a nice beat to it. Dollars In The Heavens has some excellent lyrics and vocal ranges as well and deserved the be a single. All the lyrics are catching and make you want to sing along. A must for fans of fellow label mates Suede and anyone who likes the Longpigs, Marion, Pulp & the like.
Possibly the most underrated band in the world!
The album opens with the first single "Dollars in the heavens" which seems to have the potential for a big US hit. This is a fantastic album, but possibly still not as good as their debut recording "Further". The second track "If you have to go" is an absolute classic and alone is worth buying this album for. Other highlights on the album are "Cassie", "Museum mile" and the instrumental "Morricone". It's a pity this band haven't had the recognition they deserve in their native Scotland. The only small criticism I would have of the album is the songs aren't quite on a par with those from the magnificient "Further" album. However, the band's sound has improved immensely. Go buy this album - you won't regret it!.
You can see a complete list of all Geneva discography, or go back to the Geneva tabs
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