Sounding like a cross between James and Suede, Geneva occasionally hits sweeping, graceful highs on their debut album, Further. Just as often, they languish in their own pretensions, achieving a fraction of what they set out to do. At their best, Geneva surges with power, creating grand soundscapes with folky overtones and powerful backbeats. Like Tim Booth, Andrew Montgomery's yearning falsetto calls attention to himself, and he does have an extraordinary voice. However, the band hasn't figured out how to harness its power with suitable songs. Most of the songs on Further spill forward with determination, but they don't really go anywhere, which is confirmed by songs as breathtakingly assured and pretty as "Into the Blue." Those are the moments that make Further into a promising, occasionally remarkable, debut, yet there aren't quite enough of them to make it a fully successful record.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo