Album review: BLACK SWAN – Generation Mind

Frontiers [Release date 08.04.22]

Black Swan follow up 2020′s Shake The World with the much more confident, cohesive, Generation Mind.

Robin McAuley, Reb Beach, Matt Starr and Jeff Pilson form a formidable collective. Each transforming his own success and experience into a key component of this extraordinary rock band.

It’s rare to encounter an assembly of been-there, done-that artists who can deliver a fresh spin on eighties melodic hard rock. Especially one where everything gells.

The album is lined with towering, wall to wall choruses and harmonies.The songs are brimful of sturdy tunes as the band relives the passion, the flair and the sheer joy of great melodic rock. McAuley sounds better than ever.

You listen to the title track, and say ‘She Hides Behind’ and ‘Eagles Fly’, almost picked at random. These are ambitious, amped up rock songs with anthemic, radio ready choruses. They sounds deceptively simple, but you have to be severely talented to make it sound this good, this simple.

Beach is on fire. On ‘Killer On The Loose’ and ‘Miracle’, he doesn’t so much craft a riff as carve it out in huge chunks, leaving the rest of the band to the remorseless pursuit of that awesome emotional moment where melodic rock/AOR, or whatever you want to call it, transcends its genre limitations, and just takes off.

Even when they’re recycling old ideas, it’s done with such enthusiasm and skill. ‘See You Cry’ and ‘I Will Follow’ are two heavily melodic rock songs which typically jettison the ballast of unnecessary adornment. Each crests a wave of thunderous power chords, spinning out an aggressively infectious hook, yet . . . they have heart and soul and warmth.

This is how it used to be, only right now. ****1/2

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)