Geneva - Weather Underground

  by Andy Gardener

published: 17 / 12 / 2001

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Scottish popsters Geneva burst onto the scene four years ago when they were signed by Nude after a bidding war. They then went on tour with labelmates Suede and thanks to several fantastic singles built up a large cult following. Debut album ‘Further’ was released in ’97 and included all these singles and several equally good songs most notably ‘Temporary Wings’. Any fan will tell you what Geneva’s strength is; it’s the soaring, angelic vocals of Andrew Montgomery. After nearly three years away the momentum gained by the band seems to have gone leaving the Aberdeen five-piece with it all to do on this second album. So, can Geneva not only get back up the ladder but also increase their following? The first half of ‘Weather Underground’ definitely suggests they can. Comeback single ‘Dollars In The Heavens’ is the most poppy track here and could’ve come straight off the first album and though it’s followed by the slower ‘If You Have To Go’ after a few plays this becomes one of the best tracks on the album. ‘Killing Stars’ heralds a slight change in direction for Geneva. Where once the guitars jangled they now sound harder as does Montgomery’s voice and this is a plus point to the new Geneva. ‘Museum Mile’ is a slow haunting song, which heralds the co-songwriting debut of Douglas Caskie while the album’s highlight ‘Amnesia Valley’ ends the first side. This is a tale of drugs destroying lives (“While your children play next door, hearts fall onto the floor”) and is not only the best thing on the album but it’s one of the best things the band has ever recorded. The first five songs put Geneva in a position of a possible album of the year so far but sadly, they don’t carry it off for me during the second half. Too much of the rest of the album sound like fillers. After the instrumental ‘Morricone’ which also heralds the songwriting debut of Keith Graham, ‘Guidance System’,‘A Place In The Sun’ and ‘Have You Seen The Horizon Lately?’ are disappointing songs compared to what’s gone before though another Graham composition ‘Cassie’ bravely takes on a new angle. This is the closest Geneva get to being dancey with bigger drums and has backing vocals from Anna Ross. ‘Rockets Over California’ (“Lets hear it for San Francisco, how we’d hate to see you go”) is the best track on the second half by some distance and gives renewed hope for future albums. All in all it’s a good album when it should have been excellent but despite the lapses half way through it will still be highly thought of by Geneva’s followers. Whether it will reach a new audience and regain the high profile that they had is another matter. NOTE; The vinyl version is a limited numbered 10” double set (1000 only) which is well worth tracking down if it’s still available.

Track Listing:-

1 Dollars in the heavens
2 If you have to go
3 Killing stars
4 Museum mile
5 Amnesia Valley
6 Morricone
7 Guidance system
8 Cassie
9 Rockets over California
10 Place in the sun
11 Have you seen the horizon lately

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