Actor-Caster

New Orleans indie pop duo the Generationals' 2011 sophomore effort, Actor-Caster is a veritable mixtape of '60s pop and '80s new wave sounds that manages to be a bit more cohesive than the band's 2009 debut, Con Law. As with Con Law, listening to Actor-Caster is like checking out a great compilation of old-school pop tracks that run the gamut from the '80s dance-oriented lo-fi sweetness of the Adam Ant-sounding "Ten-Twenty-Ten" to the synth pop meets Ramones balladry of "Yours Forever" and the '60s reverb-laden girl group cut "You Say It Too." The main difference is that the songs seem to be more of a piece this time, with each song giving off a moody, hazy vibe that's never too sad for singing along. In that sense, the duo of ex-Eames Era members singer/guitarists Grant Widmer and Ted Joyner -- with their double-tracked vocals and laid-back delivery -- will draw favorable comparisons to such contemporaries as the Shins and Field Music. Similarly, such bouncy guitar pop cuts as "Goose & Gander" and the echoey midtempo anthem "Tell Me Now" bring to mind a mix of such '80s cult favorites as Orange Juice and Aztec Camera. Like a forgotten mixtape found while cleaning out your car, Actor-Caster is a pleasantly bittersweet surprise. ~ Matt Collar