With his first solo album, 2015's Policy, Arcade Fire member Will Butler reawakened some of the electricity and chaos that defined his well-loved band in their earliest days. The rawness and spontaneity that the Arcade Fire lost on more neatly primped later records surfaced on some of Butler's solo songs while others were softly rendered. Five years after Policy, second solo album Generations finds Butler offering up another set of passionate songs rich with complex but understated arrangements. Tracks like "Close My Eyes" come on like simple melodic rock tunes, with big choruses bolstered by emphatic backing vocals. The woozy, loose feel of the song gives it an almost classic FM radio sensibility, but closer listening reveals buried synth lines and production shifts that don't register immediately. Butler's subtle use of synthesizers shows up throughout the album, giving anthemic songs like "I Don't Know What I Don't Know" an undercurrent of alien textures that counteract the more stadium-ready rock elements of the record. Even the playful country stomp of "Surrender" morphs from its predictable beginnings into something more nervous and edgy as layers of overdriven, fuzzy sounds are added to the mix and Butler's falsetto vocals grow wilder. Across Generations' ten tracks, Butler stretches out into glittery disco-informed rock ("Hard Times"), zippy indie scrawl ("Bethlehem"), and hushed singer/songwriter piano balladry (album closer "Fine"), taking a slightly different approach on each tune. He manages to explore different compartments of his musical muse without losing the threads that tie it all together. Generations is a breathing (often panting) work of art, with Butler dialing in the drama, excitement, and flow of each song with controlled precision.
© Fred Thomas /TiVo