Bearing in mind the global economic downturn, ‘Generation Debt’ is the aptly-titled second album release from Oregon’s ACORN PROJECT: an experimental and improvisational band, who incorporate elements of jazz, funk, and rock into their repertoire. Following on from 2008’s ‘We’ll Be Fine’, this has nine tracks that were recorded live in the studio.
Starting with ‘Reflection’, a sax based jazz rock number; the band shows that they’re spot on both musically and lyrically. ‘Reflection’ is all about a relationship split and how it’s affecting the singer. The lyrics are simple and unaffected, and therefore get straight to the point and leave the listener in no doubt about the singer’s dilemma: - “I can’t believe that I got that call that day/I can’t believe that someone could take it all away.” As well as the shock of losing his girl, the singer has the problem that he sees “your reflection in everyone I know.”
‘Limits’ is a lovely 1970’s style rock song, a carefree number with some evocative lyrics: - “The moon was full, the night was windy but warm, a certain buzz in the air/ It’s on this kind of night the freaks come out, but on this night I don’t really care.”
By this track I was fairly well hooked, as there was some top musicianship going down and the album was panning out in an entertaining manner. Then it got better. The third track, ‘Escape’ is a masterpiece, an upbeat jazzy piano piece, starting off as a prison song: “I was misunderstood, now I’m locked away.
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In this six foot cell is where I’m gonna stay.” This is then juxtaposed against the drudgery of working life, leaving me wondering which in fact was better!
All nine tracks on the album are quite long (the album clocks in at just under an hour), but they never outstay their welcome, not even on ‘Dose’ which runs to nine minutes. ‘Noise’ was the only track that I felt could be improved upon, being a dose of country rock with slide guitar and noise and not a lot else.
The closing track, the remarkably sublime ‘Tom Selleck’, features some lovely saxophone and is just the sort of track to mellow out to. What it all means, I’m not quite sure, especially the line about “little fishes swimming in the big sea” and never going hungry. As tributes to the great man from 'Magnum' go, it's rather obscure.
Whilst there will almost certainly be some comparisons to Frank Zappa, Acorn Project are a jam band par excellence, and one worth dipping in to.
Acorn Project on MySpace
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