Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Certain General: Holiday Of Love (Labor Records/1982)



Certain General spawned from the downtown New York scene. Alongside peers like Bush Tetras and Band Of Outsiders, Certain General were New York's leading purveyors of guitar-based atonal dance rock. The band formed in 1980 is still currently actively playing shows and releasing new music. And in fact they're virtual (cult) stars in France.




Holiday Of Love is their first release and having been released in 1982, as 1982 and 1983 was the era of the EP, this release also happens to be an EP. Released on Labor Records and produced by Peter Holsapple of The dB's and Michael Gira of Swans, the five-song mini-album is a nice mix of jittery-dance rock and somber mid-tempo material.

Back Downtown” sounds like The Feelies a smidgen, “Hello My God” recalls “The End” by The Doors, “Leader Out” sound not unlike Bauhaus. “B flat, C2” sounds like what would happen if Gang Of Four were a surf rock band. “Holiday Of Love” could've been the hit dance single that X never had. There's something slightly Velvet Underground-y and Televisionesque about Certain General's approach yet lead singer Parker Dulany has a lyrical vision all his own.


Recommended for fans of any of the band I named. Certain General is worth checking out.  

Here's the video review:



Special thanks to: Kevin Tooley, Prefab International & Dennis Landau.

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