In the almost 2 year period since Gene released their debut album Olympian it has never been far from my CD player. Even more welcome was the collection of b-sides and live tracks released about a year later. Their forecful yet romantic guitar melodies, married to the tender, emotional vocal tracks have become a refuge in the midst of long dark nights and bitter moods. As a result, the opening riffs of “We Could Be Kings,” Gene’s latest single, and the title-track to their upcoming album were a bit like coming home after a hideous failure and upon sensing the familiar smells and seeing familiar sights, knowing that in fact everything would turn out alright. While the song does not break any new musical ground, for a band like Gene, this is not a serious problem or concern. Their appeal has been less in their ability to create new sounds, but rather in their knack for recreating old feelings. Gene have struck a chord for their fans with their sincerity and the emotional connection they create with their audiences. Martin Rossiter wailing such sentiments as “Will you catch me when I fall, can you hear me when I call, can you love me when I’m hungry and I’m cold....” manages to create a bond between himself and the listener, by evoking sensations and memories of similar experiences and thoughts. Gene allow their fans to recreate both touching and painful relationships with a sense of tenderness and that allows them to turn emotional agony into wistful sentiment through the overarching sense of hope that courses through their songs. The rest of the album may be breathtakingly cutting-edge, but even if it isn’t, it won’t matter. We should take Gene as they are, and hold them tight and hope that they never go away.
Gene - We Could Be Kings