Getting Killed
Yeah, so people are freaking out over this record. Admittedly, I had heard of Geese just once or twice over the last few years. So, you can imagine my surprise when, within the course of one week, I (1) was reccomended Getting Killed by not one but two trusted music-loving friends; (2) was suggested Anthony Fantano’s review of the album and (3) videos of random live street performances they had done for the album? The most familiar I had ever got with the band was listening briefly to their album 3D Country back in 2023. A good record by all means, it establlished the band as seperate from the souless-rock bandwagon of the 2020’s.
3D Country was entertaining, spunky, and layered with classic Americana elements, a country soul, and the notorious weirdness of the group. They are masters of alternative avant-garde groove, and 3D Country captured it perfectly. Just enough Geese weirdness came through without derailing the record altogether. The melodies were trackable and even catchy at times. The soft elements were the forefront of the album, with interludes of perfectly tucked-in pockets of chaos.
Getting Killed was the opposite of all of this. The controlled chaos I enjoyed in 3D Country failed to make an appearance in Getting Killed. Instead, it was… all chaos. Ok, well not all of it - but whereas 3D Country set aside just 20% of the playing time for moments of off-beat madness, Getting Killed dedicated about 80% to it. In other words, the forefront of Getting Killed was layers of (coordinated) uncoordinated sound with only temporary glimpses of order (i.e. Islands of Men).
Now - did they pull it off? Yes. Could many other bands say the same? No. And I applaud the talent it takes to make such a off-the-rails record and still sound like you intended for it to be that way, let alone make it into an aesthetic that people are attracted to (even if that aesthetic is emotionally crippled fatherless gay(?) small-town boy living in the big city). You can’t accuse the album of not being coherent. The songs - while all over the place in themselves - work seamlessly together. I do believe they achieved the sound they were going - whether or not that sound is particularly pleasant is a different question.
The instrumental chaos of the record is managable in comparison the vocal chaos. Undeniably, Cameron Winter is a talented vocalist. Deeply unique and a skilled artist, I mean it when I am glad he has not conformed to the traditional sound of other rock singers. That being said, I can only listen to that man wail and holler for so long. The singing he does in much of Getting Killed sounds like he has something in his throat - and after a while, it tires the ears. 3D Country was excellent because he was singing in a lower, smoother voice while simultaneously leaning into the country twang of his vintage-style voice. I understand Getting Killed was intended to move away from the country elements and into a full-fledged alt rock abulm, but I still wish there would have been more soft-sung songs to break up the chaos. Not only would it have made the album physically easier to listen to but it would have made the moments of chaos feel more exciting, climactic, and balanced.
I really wouldn’t care about this album as much if it wasn’t getting the kind of response that it is. But people are obsessed. I mean really truly obsessed. And I’m trying to understand why. If its a sign that people are craving a raunchier-yet-depressed weirdo rock sound, I simply feel like you can find better elsewhere. Geese isn’t the first of its kind. I’m not saying Getting Killed is a bad option, I’m just saying it is not the only option (and certainly not the best).
