Uploaded February 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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"Generation" is the third single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of physical album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, & Keyboards
Simon Miminis - Drums

Produced by Hector Viola & Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Mighty undertone to find a home, written on a stone
Visions of a zone where you can roam, through the unknown

The everlasting gallantry in the face of fear
With an unassuming gravity far away from here

Generation, generation
For some motivation, generation now

Gotta overthrow and undergo more than you will know
When it’s sinking low for room to grow, walking tip toe

The everlasting gallantry in the face of fear
With an unassuming gravity far away from here

Generation, generation
For a population, generation
Address a situation, attain an occupation
For your own information, generation

In another region, or in relation
In and out of season, generation now

Generation, generation
For an imitation, generation
Address a situation, attain an occupation
For your own information, generation now

© Copyright 2023 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

In the late fall of 2020, I came up with the idea for what would become “Generation”. I saw this YouTube video of street performers playing the “Gerudo Valley Theme” from N64’s The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time on acoustic guitars. The video had millions of views, and it made me nostalgic about the video game I played obsessively as a kid in the late 1990s. The “Gerudo Valley Theme” composed by Koji Kondo is a brilliant tune done in the style of Spanish Flamenco.

What I love about the song is the chord progression. And the melodic possibilities within that chord progression. So I set out to write a song that could use it in some way. “Generation” has that chord progression in a different key in the guitar riff and verses. But the rest of the tune uses variations of chord combinations. All in all, “Generation” is completely different in terms of style and approach. But it certainly wouldn’t exist without that inspiration.

When it came to the lyrics of “Generation”, I wrote them in an ambiguous manner. People see the word "generation", and they think of cohorts. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Zoomers, etc. Just think of “My Generation” by The Who. But Plaid On Flannel’s “Generation” is really about work. An occupation or a vocation. The "generation" of labour to make money. I'm very fond of words that have multiple meanings. And can be interpreted in various ways. At first, I was analyzing the unemployment I was experiencing at the time during the pandemic lock down era. But the song is really about the fundamentals of how our society functions. With the "work, or starve on the street" fate that most of us face. And the fact that a majority of us hate our jobs. Only working them so we don't end up homeless. As time goes on, there are more and more people who are underemployed in the work force. Myself included. And there's this false narrative that what we do for money is our identity. When in reality, most of us are working so we can unwillingly make someone else's life better.

Much like the first 2 singles from Parkdale Fever, "Generation" uses plenty of distortion on the guitars. Except the guitar riff for "Generation" plays lower notes that are more simple and powerful. The extra guitars tend to have a psychedelic sound to them. Especially during the song's verses. With delay and modulation to add texture. The guitar solo follows the melodies of the verses and pre-choruses quite a bit. And then the final chorus has guitars feeding back. To add some dynamics while the drums take a rest, and whole note chords are played with the other instruments.

"Generation" is one of the few songs on Parkdale Fever that has no percussion. I felt like adding a tambourine would make it too festive. And that would interfere with the melancholy vibe of the tune. Simon's drums provide more than enough rhythm for the flow of this song. There are other tunes on the album where the percussion is a lot more necessary.

The vocals use a lot of harmony throughout "Generation", but there is only one backing vocal in the entire song. It lifts the melodies in certain parts. Most of the tune has double lead vocals to bring up the intensity. And there's even triple lead vocals every time the word "generation" is said. In some cases it's also "generation now".

I honestly can't wait to play this song live with a band. It has the right tempo for headbanging. I'm sure "Generation" will be a staple in Plaid On Flannel's live repertoire for years to come.

#AlternativeRock #BluesRock #PsychedelicRock