generator - morning strikes

Generator

Morning Strikes
self-released; 2013

3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Hailing from Quebec, Canada, Generator is a four-piece band consisting of Paul-Raphaël Charron (vocals), Antoine Guay (guitars), Olivier Amyot-Ladouceur (bass) and Sacha Lauzier-Bonnette (drums and percussion) that just released their debut EP called Morning Strikes. 

Interestingly enough all of the band members were in Red Hot Chili Peppers Cover Band and so as you can probably imagine Red Hot Chili Peppers had a big influence on the band. So, yeah, you get a lot of slap funk bass along with rapping/singing type vocals that you can imagine KIedis performing. Luckily, there are some other sprinkles of influences so that it is not apparently blatant all the time. You hear a lot of Rage Against The Machine influence, a bit of Franz Ferdinand and even LCD Soundsystem amongst the mix.

As far as the production, its sound is top notch. The guitars have a meaty mid range without sounding harsh, the drums pop while the vocals are front and center yet sit well in the mix. 

The album starts with one of the highlights called “Waking The Mamas” that combines clean guitars (distorted on the chorus), cascading bass and a driving drum beat that feels like a love affair between the funk of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the hardcore edge of Rage Against The Machine. There is an ample amount of energy in this song that doesn't dissipate until it’s over. The influence from Red Hot Chili Peppers is most apparent on “Blues My Face.” Even the structure where Charron sing/raps during the verse and then when the chorus goes for more traditional singing is reminiscent of something you would hear from the group. 

“Tell Me All Is Cool” combines ska, reggae and even a bit of a waltz. It is a solid song even though it was a bit of a departure from the earlier material. They revert to the funk for “The G's Thing” and close the album with “First Of The Month” which ends the EP with a bang.

Generator is a fun band who produce energizing music that I’m sure would be a blast to see live. That being said I feel as if they still need to do a bit of searching to find their own style. There is no doubt in my mind that transferring over from a cover band to a band that performs originals can be hard but it can be done.

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