This album starts off with “Poison Root”, and seconds in, this album is already seriously bizarre. We have Alex plucking away at a folky guitar with his usually drawn out vocal delivery and some dog barking sound effects. But as weird as all of these elements are together, I can’t help but bob my heard. It’s a sweet track, as a nearly inaudible Alex mumbles on within this very sweet yet eclectic atmosphere. It’s got some serious southern flare and some country influence, but at the same time it’s still the shy little Alex G that we met yeats ago. Between the strings and this sweet atmosphere, I feel like we’re getting so much new stuff from Alex right off the bat. Up next is “Proud”, and once this folky rocker pops in, this instantly sounds like a more polished and updated version of one of Alex’s older tracks. There’s a lot of really weird and eclectic stuff going on on this album, but for this track Alex just comes off as a straight up Indie Rocker. I’ve made the comparison from time to time how Alex totally comes off as a reincarnated and not as dreary Elliot Smith, and on “Proud” that feeling certainly reigns. The bittersweet lyrics are totally believable, and end up coming off as an adorable statement that works so well for Alex. Now clearly, the music on this album is still very “D.I.Y.”. But I certainly do love the updated and cleaner production. So far, this is brilliant for Alex. Now, on “County” I like a whole lot of the elements right off the bat. I really love the very whimsical feel of the atmosphere and Alex’s much softer delivery, as well as those keyboards. But outside of that, this one really doesn’t click with me that much. As all over the place this album is, I feel like every track sort of has it’s own purpose. “County” however, really doesn’t seem to have much of a purpose at all. It honestly just comes off like Alex is messing around with some instrumentals and singing over them, and while it does have sweet moments it surely doesn’t click with me. Then we have “Bobby”, which once again has Alex once again diving headfirst into the sound of country with heavy use of violins. This just comes off so authentic though, and sitting here listening to this sweet duet makes me realize how seriously adorable this track comes off. As a whole, this album comes off as a sort of mixed bag for Alex, a great one, but a mixed bag nonetheless. I’ve listened to this album a bunch of times to get prepared for this review, and I still am never certain n on what sound Alex is going to break out next. I’ve never really heard man duets from Alex, and while I’m not sure who he’s singing with on this one, “Bobby” comes off near perfectly. Plus, let me just say, this Alt-Country sound is seriously incredible for Alex. With “Witch”, this album continues to have a very breezy and whimsical feel to it, with this one having almost medieval sounding keyboards at the opening. This one is certainly a little more synthetic sounding than the last few tracks, BUT, I love the very psychedelic atmosphere on this one. In a way, between the layers of instrumentals and the very joyous and poppy vocals, I almost feel like “Witch” has a Panda Bear or Animal Collective vibe to it. Then we have those bizarre backing vocals that add a serious weirdness and experimental edge to this one. It’s totally bizarre, and probably the most far out thing Alex has ever touched. But it remains really sweet and likable, for an eclectic grab bag of an album, Alex has a way to turn almost all of it into ear candy.
On “Horse”, Alex takes us on our wildest ride yet here, quite possibly of his entire career. Long gone are the Southern Fried Ballads on this one, and I hope you guys like highly erratic sound collages. There’s so much going on on “Horse” that it’s almost impossible to list. The instrumental is just so thick and hulking, and between the heavy synthesizers and the plucking’s from seemingly endless instruments, this is Alex’s most bizarre track yet. It’s strangely hypnotic though, and while it may not be a stunning interlude or anything, it breaks up this album rather nicely and gives is a very Avant-Garde feel for a few minutes. Plus, Alex’s very ghoulish moaning in the background give this one a very uneasy feeling. But Alex is far from done with us, because as soon as “Brick” starts up, I feel like I accidentally switched over to a Dillinger Escape Plan or Death Grips album. I have no idea what this even is, or where Alex came up with this. The bass here is so heavy, the instrumentals are chaotic, and Alex’s very tortured performance as he practically yelps in pain is seriously stunning. I’ve never heard a track quite like this from Alex, and it’s the last thing that I thought I wanted to hear from them. But hell yes, it’s wild and brilliant and I hope we get more of it in the future. Instantly though, we’re right back in the might lighter side of things with “Sportstar”. This one though continues with the very puzzling tone of the album. However, no matter how sweet the sentiment is and how joyous the atmosphere is, between the very uneasy instrumentals that are all over the place and the weird vocal effects on Alex, I’m obsessed. By this point in the album it’s safe to say, this is Alex’s most experimental album yet by far, but what makes it so important and interesting is how Alex presents it. Alex is certainly expanding his sound, but he’s walking through it with us at a good pace, and it’s easy to love and groove along with. This track is just so warm and cozy no matter how weird it gets, and it’s seriously catchy. I also love the hazy atmosphere on this one and the very distant guitars that take up most of this track. Then we get to my favorite track here, “Judge”. Every time this one starts up I’m instantly sucked in, and as far as a classic Alex G sounding track goes, this is the closest you’re going to get. I absolutely go nuts for his vocals here, we haven’t heard a lot of his lower pitched vocals here and I forgot how seriously wonderful they come off. It makes Alex’s performance here just so heart wrenching. I also love the synths here as well as the dreary and somber tone to everything. This album remains seriously easy to digest. “Rocket” on the other hand is just another seriously sweet instrumental that gives us a minute to breathe in between a lot of what Alex has been throwing at us. I do however LOVE some of the banjo plucking on this one that brings back the sort of Alt-Country vibe that Alex was going for earlier. What a wild album.
On “Powerful Man” Alex just feels like he’s jamming out to a straight up folk jam. Not too surprisingly, it comes off fantastic. Lyrically, this one comes off as one of Alex’s strongest here by far. That southern flare is back in those violins and they still come off just as well. This one is a lot easier to take in than some of the experimental tracks on here, and just comes off like Alex G in the raw with no filler or effects. It’s beautiful and sentimental, and most of all this one comes off incredibly “real”. So up until this point, I’ve had nothing but nice things to say about this, but I feel like Alex does drop the ball with the closing tracks here. “Alina” is alright, but for me this one is just a little too breezy for my liking. It gets so breezy to the point where there really ins’t much structure to what’s being presented to us. It’s a very relaxing atmosphere, but I almost wish that this one was an instrumental, because Alex’s completely inaudible vocals sort of come off annoying on this one. I DO really like the very hazy atmosphere though, so this one isn’t a total bust. On “Big Fish” Alex is right back to sounding like an Elliot Smith disciple, and it dows come off alright. And overall this track is alright, it really is. But I don’t know, this just sounds out of place to me, like Alex literally took a B-Side or an unreleased older track and plopped it on here. It doesn’t go with the feel or the production style at ALL. However, at the end of the day it does sound nice at least. Then we have this album’s finale “Guilty”, which has a seriously jazzy feel to is and the instrumentals are once again on point in every way. And I do think this is a solid finale. But for me, I’m not completely in love with Alex’s vocals here. They’re ok at best, and I really think he could have done so much better. I do like that backing “ooooooh”’s and the saxophone however. Overall though, this album is by far Alex’s best.
Rating: 8.5/10
Give A Listen To: “Proud”, “Judge”, “Bobby”, “Brick”
Overall Thoughts: This is by FAR Alex's most complete and interesting album yet. For years there's certainly been more than meets the eye to Alex's unique brand of Low-Fi Singer/Songwriter rock. But never once has it come off so effectively as the songs on here. This is also by far Alex's most diverse album yet, as Alex offers up everything from Alt-Country ballads, to chaotic experimental rock, to somber folk tunes that Elliot Smith would have shed a tear for. And even more interesting, is how it remains so easy to listen to as the album trudges on. It's magnificent really.
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