Beautiful vocals elevate Geneva above norm

Think of the most beautiful voice in rock today. Thom Yorke of Radiohead? The Sundays' Harriet Wheeler? Liz Fraser of the Cocteau Twins? Well, my vote goes to Andrew Montgomery of Geneva. A choir boy as a child, Montgomery sings with such passion and fragility that he can out-falsetto the whole lot of them.

Thom Yorke sounds like an out-of-tune Courtney Love compared to the dulcette tones of Montgomery. The truth is that he can actually sing. Combine this with the manic twin-guitar attack of Steven Dora and Stuart Evans and you have the makings of Aberdeen, Scotland's Geneva.

"I'm very concerned about people placing emphasis on my voice. I mean, Steven (Dora) writes great guitar lines, everyone kind of chips in. I'm not a solo artist, I don't even play an instrument. I just want it to be about the five of us," said Montgomery in a recent interview with The Michigan Daily.

Montgomery, Dora, Evans, bassist Keith Graham and drummer Douglas Caskie formed in Aberdeen in 1992 and struggled for a couple of years under the moniker of Sunfish. London's Nude Records (home of the London Suede) caught hold of Sunfish's two-song demo and signed the group immediately in October 1996.

Caught in between a name change, the band opened up for (The London) Suede at a secret fan club gig in London and people wondered who this Scottish band was. With a string of successful singles in the U.K. such as "No One Speaks," "Tranquilizer" and "Best Regrets," the British are quite familiar with the band now, as evidenced by Geneva's appearances at British summer festivals T in the Park and the mud-filled Glastonbury.

"We do have a punk mentality in that we just want to reach people and make a connection through our music."

It is this kind of attitude that helps elevate Geneva above the rest of the current British music scene in that its music is too complex to pigeonhole. Compound this with the band members' wide-ranging musical tastes, such as jazz, hip hop, techno and influences such as the Velvet Underground and the Byrds and you can understand the complex nature of the band.

"Further," the band's debut album (produced by Mike Hedges), hits you right between the eyes with its claustrophobic mix of breathtaking passion and its almost hymnal mantras.

Envision a mix between the jingle-jangle of The Smiths and the desolate nature of Joy Division with the same intensity and power - except substitute Morrissey's limited vocal delivery and Ian Curtis' seemingly unaffected monotone for Montgomery's infinitely prettier voice. But is this music for the jilted generation?

Geneva's distinctive brand of music will be showcased as openers for Catherine Wheel. Catherine Wheel fans may either be intrigued or dismayed by the bittersweet songs of Geneva, but Montgomery put it best when he jests, "It's the common language of rock! I have great faith in it. Doctor Rock has bit me!"

09-19-97