D-Gen were really the ultimate 90’s rock’n’roll band. Still reeling from the 80s, these Bowery-bred wastrels looked and sounded like Johnny Thunders disciples, but their lyrics and outlook were as bleak and grey as the most bummed-out, smack-headed grunge bands.
Their murky, untimely death in 1999 sparked the solo career of frontman Jesse Malin, but still felt like tragically unfinished business. A reunion album has been in the works for years, and finally, Nothing Is Anywhere.
While it’s not nearly as rough around the edges as their initial incarnation, there are glimpses of former ragged glories here, especially in the anthemic Not Goin’ Back and the slinky, punky Apocalypse Kids. But for the most part, it just sounds like a raucous Malin solo album. Not bad if you’re a fan of this enduring troubled troubadour, but not exactly the group effort we’ve been waiting for either.
