Alix [LP]

Generationals' fourth studio album, 2014's Alix, features more of the '80s-influenced electronic pop and indie rock the New Orleans duo has perfected since 2009's Con Law. Once again showcasing the combined talents of Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer, Alix is a catchy, brightly colored affair with songs built largely around the duo's yearning, nasally vocals, buoyant synth lines, and dance-oriented, if not exactly club-ready, beats. In some ways, the album picks up on the languid, late-summer vibe of 2013's Heza, taking it even further with dreamy, melancholy cuts like "Now Look at Me," and the fuzzy, bubbly "Black Lemon." Also similar to the group's past albums, Alix sounds a lot like a lost synth pop album from the early '80s, full of melodic, lightly arty cuts that bring to mind such vintage influences as Tom Tom Club, Nu Shooz, and Thomas Dolby. That said, Alix is anything but a retro album and cuts like the '50s-infused "Gold Silver Diamond," and the clipped, new wave-inflected "Charlemagne" also fit nicely alongside such similarly leaning contemporary acts as MGMT, Phoenix, Fun. and Passion Pit. Ultimately, with Alix, Generationals deliver quirky, catchy pop songs that stick in your head like DayGlo bubblegum on a hot summer parking lot. ~ Matt Collar