Few things soothe like listening to one of your favorite albums. I’m not talking about those critically acclaimed entries in your record collection you keep around for certain moods. And I’m not referring to the albums you put on to improve or enhance your mood. These aren’t even your “Top 10 All-Time Desert Island” sorts of albums. I’m thinking of those precious slices of wax you can put on anytime, anywhere, and for any reason that send you right into your sweet spot.
You know the stuff. The tunes hit every one of your musical triggers in just the right way. From the vocals, instrumentation, and production to the tempos, arrangements, grooves and beyond, the music sends you right into your absolute happy place. It’s somehow perfect played low in the background while working, and cranked up to 11 when hanging out with friends. It’s the perfect mix of everything you want in your music, and it just feels right.
And I might have found a new entry onto my personal list with the new album from alexalone.
Released on venerated indie label Polyvinyl, ALEXALONEWORLD is the brainchild of Alex Peterson and three of their friends, and it’s pitch-perfect vintage indie rock. What sets this Austin, TX quartet apart from its peers is their ability to distill several strains of the ‘90s underground into a captivating whole. It’s not egregious hyperbole when I namedrop Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, Stereolab, and Slowdive as the sounds I hear most in this 8-song project.
Everything begins with the restraint the band places upon its definition of “rock music.” Yes, the guitars sit large in the mix, especially when the thick feedback kicks in, but nothing ever feels bloated or overwrought. The subtlety of these tunes provides for an engaging progression of ideas and sounds. Such nuances leap to the fore when the clean vocals and motorik drumming alternately complement and contrast those huge guitar tones.
It’s the music of a clear, sunny day on a picturesque lakeside, but can tell something or someone is unwell. An eerie anxiety fills in the air as the clouds slowly creep across the sky. It’s melancholy and malaise as menace. Yet, you can’t look away because you want to make sure everyone survives the oncoming storm, since you’re not quite sure they will.
The album kicks off with a mid-tempo charmer entitled “Electric Sickness.”
Anchored by impeccable drumming and hushed voices, the tune introduces the listener to the controlled buzz that is the alexalone aesthetic. With “Unpacking My Feelings,” an ominous energy enters the fray, and you can hear the storm clouds building on the horizon. It doesn’t hurt that the snarling guitar work and syncopated tom-tom rolls ratchet up the stress.
My favorite track on ALEXALONEWORLD, “Can’t Sleep” seethes with a hostile drunkenness that threatens to upend everything. The barking guitar work brings you right to the precipice of nightmare before retreating into the night. “Eavesdropper” concludes our cinematic experience with a glowering six-minute jam that finally bring the storm we’ve feared the entire time.
A disturbing airiness dominates the overall mood, even as the propulsive power of the tunes jangle your nerves. Despite the feints at gloom and doom, nothing feels ponderous. The album comes across as heavy without being lumbering or clumsy.
Steady drumming provides a piercing case of the jitters instead of dull monotony. The ebb and flow of the guitar growls elicit palpable malice without tipping into cliché or farce. It’s then that the quiet, disaffected vocals enter the fray to intoxicate and set your teeth on edge.
The profound use of dynamics on display introduce, build, and sustain dramatic tension throughout the album.
Those aforementioned clean vocals add a delicious creepiness to the music because they eschew the obvious. The effortless shifts in tempo and time signature create striking suspense, revealing the talents of a thoughtful artisan on display.
The genius of alexalone lies in how the band captures your attention with its overt influences but then holds gaze by interweaving those familiar sounds into fascinating combinations. ALEXALONEWORLD pushes the limits of ‘90s indie rock in purposeful ways, starting with the clear ideas, top-notch execution, and spine-tingling shivers. Delivering plenty of opportunities for both air guitar and air drums, I plan to happily rock this album at any time of day or night well into the future.