Saturn Returns

VINYL FORMAT. The drums smack you in the face first, like a hailstorm with no sign of letting up anytime soon. It's a jarring but joyous sensation, as if someone just snapped you out of a fever dream. And with that, memories of simpler times sparkle and fade the muddled memories of Grandchildren creator Aleksander Martray. The son of a high ranking military officer, Martray was born on an Army base in Germany and raised on both sides of the Atlantic. In fact, aside from a couple extended stays in places like West Point, his life was essentially a scramble for something - anything - that'd help him make sense of it all. Grandchildren's debut album, Everlasting, is a culmination of all that restlessness, starting with the track "Cold Warrior" and its sputtering percussion. A six-gun salute of sorts, it's an homage to Martray's father, a man who's devoted his life to bringing our country, and his family, back to the way things used to be. Maybe that's why Grandchildren's sonic collage feels like a safe haven for multiple realities (his father's, the one in Martray's head, our collective subconscious), as scored by frayed electronics, fireside folk melodies, richly woven orchestral-pop flourishes, and field recordings from Africa, Central America and the Caribbean.