Near Greatness

Geographer exists somewhere between the emotive synth pop arias of Depeche Mode and the earnest coffeehouse-meets-arena-rock of fellow Bay Area acts Train and Counting Crows.

With echoes of The Killers, Geographer’s latest release, Ghost Modern (out now on Roll Call Records) tries to sound big — U2 big, the kind of watershed record that burns up the charts while soundtracking a generation.

Central to Geographer’s sound is vocalist and primary songwriter Michael Deni’s remarkable and angelic tenor, a sort of blending of the vulnerability of Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz with Daryl Hall’s soulful chops and Bono’s theatrics.

Lyrically, Deni is the archetypical sensitive modern rocker, aiming mostly to make the girls go “aww” with ultimately meaningless lines like: “You say you love me/ You know I just can’t deal/ I want to know what you mean.”

Backing up Deni are the Far East-tinged floral string arrangements of “I’m Ready.” Elsewhere, “You Say You Love Me” is reminiscent of Depeche Mode’s “People Are People” before veering towards Paula Abdul and ending up a hook-heavy crowd-pleaser.

Hook-heavy crowd-pleasers are Ghost Modern’s stock in trade. Is it successful? Despite tons of promise and talent, I’m afraid the answer is an astounding sorta.

The record starts strong but slips and never recovers into a forgettable middle section. There’s impeccable production, some fine musicianship and Deni’s truly remarkable singing voice. Missing, however, are enough songs to turn the ear of a generation, which is the kind of lofty ambition Geographer positively reeks of.

None of this means you shouldn’t listen. What’s sorely lacking from modern music is time for bands to grow, hit their stride and release their opus. And Geographer has all the ingredients of greatness.

Geographer plays with Portland’s Weather Machine 9:30 pm Saturday, March 28, at Sam Bond’s; $10. 21-plus.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!