Geneva
Sails On Suds

In the air, some notes of the classic “L’Appuntamento” by Ornella Vanoni resound, but the atmosphere is dark, the light is dim, and the air becomes increasingly tense under the vibrating of an ancestral guitar sound that seems to come from hell, or something of the sort… And dear Vanoni, despite the genre that the band endorses on their official Myspace (“chansonne italienne,” Italian song), is obliterated by a post riff that is as post as it gets, annihilating in its simplicity, in its advance a child of Neurosis but allied with the most modern post-hardcore.

Cigarette in mouth, ruffled hair, a somewhat tipsy demeanor, and an extraordinary passion, this is how Jean-Charles Debeaux, a French singer/guitarist (but of Palermo origin) and principal composer of this trio from Valence (the French one, not Spanish!), presents himself. These are the Geneva, as they presented themselves at their last concert in Lyon, supporting their Genevan colleagues Knut (a band that I hope the readers of this review are well familiar with).
Elated by a concert that, despite being fueled by a healthy dose of alcohol in my veins and those of the band, managed to provide me with quite a bit of emotion, I buy their original CD without hesitation, with the clear intention of reviewing it, which I finally decide to do now. 

First thing: Vanoni’s intro is absent, and that’s already a great advantage. In its place, the guitar of “And Dust My Sugar From The Fold” explodes in an extraordinarily effective post-hardcore impulse, with a freshness that hasn’t been heard in some time in a genre like this. Although the Geneva are not original (they recover an ethic that has belonged to many bands before them, starting from Breach to Cult Of Luna), they manage with mastery and elegance to compose riffs that are indeed real “riffs,” not pointless loops and endless losses as many bands like them do. They are skillful, they mold the post-metal matter like a wise sculptor does with marble, and they manage to balance anger and melody on a strong and incisive underpinning of passion. 

That is why “Sails On Sud” can offer more than a few emotions: it is simple, direct, it is constructed in such a way as to induce the listener into a sort of hypnosis that almost prevents them from stopping the music once a track has begun.
This explosive incisiveness, combined with the freshness of their intentions, can be found right in the opening track, with some riffs that a thousand bands like them would have tried to compose without succeeding. An ocean of sounds, sensations, explosive emotions, strong, passionate, atmospheric yes but using such atmosphere to express what’s inside, not to wander in nothingness. This is post-hardcore as conceived by Geneva: the big guitars and Charles's screams, together with Alex's viscous bass and Rémi's atmospheric percussion, lose themselves in a heavy advance, transforming its initial drama into luminous hope, even just by changing a note, flowing smoothly like oil in a sonic quagmire where it is delightful to abandon oneself. 

The other songs do nothing but follow the trail of the first, unraveling everything that Geneva has inside like in a dark fresco of emotions: “Drivin Across The Sky” starts with an arpeggio and then evolves into sustained riffs that then twist and wound each other. Geneva here fully conform to every canon of the most traditional post-hardcore, yet they rework it with such skill and passion that one is fascinated by their way of playing it; that is why their lack of originality is forgiven without reservation. Breach and Cult Of Luna, as already mentioned, but also the fat sounds of Isis and Minsk, the atmosphere of Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky, the apocalypse of Neurosis… Many are the influences flaunted by the trio, yet, I repeat, one doesn’t feel their weight. 

Apart from a few somewhat less fluid episodes (“All In All,” nevertheless grandiose) and some pauses that, although slightly out of place, help to break the tension a bit (“On My Own,” supported by a good clean voice and clear “Mogwai-like” melodies), the album flows pleasantly, making one feel and enjoy. I cannot not mention the opening riffs of “Echoes Wine,” a real low blow to my delicate heart, more unique than rare in this genre, and the duo “Opposite/Attract” split into two parts, with the vocal support of Pierre Vigueir from Tantrum: the beginning somewhat reminds me of “By The Gallows” by Khoma, but the main feature is its broken and apocalyptic riffs that, if live they almost made me hit my head against the stage, on record they involve and destroy everything around them, every external distraction. A wound that is immediately healed by the subsequent part of the song, much slower, advancing with a post-rock spirit and sludge sounds, probably influenced by certain compositions by acts like Minsk and Rwake. 

I close the review by mentioning the last track, “Hope,” almost 13 minutes of digging into the listener’s interiority, in a deep sea where one drowns with extreme pleasure. One of the best tracks on the album.
Produced by Serge Morattel (Knut), “Sails On Suds” is undoubtedly one of the most tremendously effective post-hardcore records of 2010. When you listen to this record, it will be just you and it. Press play and you won’t be able to detach it from your ears for weeks, guaranteed.
I wish a bright future to these promises of French post!