Leeds musician Mark Hadley seems to be experiencing something of an identity crisis. Troubled that his own name's too bland and could see him sink without a trace, he's been working under the moniker Genetichigh, a name he feels doesn't really fit his musical output. I'm inclined to agree. I would have expected pumping happy hardcore or something from Genetichigh. Thankfully, Mark Haley produces music that's altogether more listenable, organic and human, and that doesn't require a truckload of drugs to appreciate. And so we have 'Momentum,' an album that's strong on melody and emotional sincerity, and has been knocking around for a while before appearing on my radar.
I can't decide if the album taken as a whole is varied or simply patchy. 'No Good For Me,' for example, is a heartfelt acoustic number with a hint of bitterness that's genuinely quite affecting, while 'At Least, I Like The Idea' is a Radiohead-influenced slice of wide-eyed paranoia, an Eastern-tinged scale sequence and driving rhythm propelling a processed vocal. Then there's the closer, 'Precious Thing,' which is easy enough on the ear, but sounds rather too much like a concerted attempt to reach a wider audience by appealing to thirtysomethings who like chilled out, slick and slightly sickly MOR, the space occupied by the likes of Maroon 5 and Savage Garden. And there I was hoping it would be a cover of the Big Black number!
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Perhaps I'm just too cynical for my own good. After all, there's plenty of less than mainstream oddness on here. 'Witchfinder' begins with a disorientating melenge of crowd sounds and more, before morphing into something that could easily be a Nine Inch Nails outtake were it not for the almost choral backing vocals that are theatrical, gothic and dark, and concluding with a heavy drum-beat and the sound of flames cracking.
If nothing else, Hadley's diverse influences, which range from Peter Gabriel to PIL, encompassing The Prodigy, Bush and Goldie Lookin' Chain, are all represented in an egalitarian way, and while the styles across the songs may vary considerably, the compositions themselves are cohesive and seemingly assured in their sense of identity.
'Momentum' didn't get me leaping around the room, that's for certain, but nor did it make me want to put a boot through the speakers. Believe me, I'm often tempted.
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