Generationals

Chalk it up to bad timing, underexposure, or the existence of Rilo Kiley, but the sticky-sweet indie-pop of The Eames Era went mostly unheralded over the band’s three-year tenure. Following its break-up, guitarists Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer dusted themselves and their record collections off and formed the similarly hooky Generationals. The band’s debut, Con Law, is a wildly eclectic affair—the skeletal electro-funk of “Bobby Beale” and the Britpop sneer of “Nobody Could Change Your Mind” are sure to surprise ears pricked by the breezy retro-soul of “When They Fight, They Fight.” The group’s latest, Actor-Caster, continues the pleasant style-hopping, stopping on lo-fi ’80s dance pop (“Ten Twenty Ten”), bubbly synth ballads (“Yours Forever”), and Beatles bubblegum stomp (“Dirty Mister Dirty”).

Updated 04/20/2011