This seems odd to be posting this as I just posted a stream of “Million Years” this morning from the upcoming self-titled album from Alexander, the solo project of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros frontman Alex Ebert, but when someone spills the beans that there’s more to be heard, I just can’t help myself. Especially since I had a pretty good feeling that this would be a pretty feel good album, and the perfect thing to bring some excitement into an otherwise lazy Saturday afternoon.
Alexander goes through a series of ups and downs with the fun, singalong type tracks that Ebert is so great at, and the slower, introspective tracks whose beauty is only revealed after a few listens. At 10 tracks, this album feels to be the perfect length. The tracks move through a series of emotions both musically and lyrically, and as he so often does, Ebert lays it all on the table. When I’d first heard “Truth” a few months back, I really liked it, but it wasn’t until I saw this album which showed the lyrics and read them that I realized what a fantastic song it truly was, with Ebert bearing his demons to all in his eternal quest for ultimate enlightenment (I swear I don’t mean that in a snarky way). Ebert says that the all important second track, in this case “Awake My Body”, really expresses the feelings that led to the creation of the album, as he was feeling exhausted and wanted to reawaken himself, in the sense of invigorating his individual cells to become a physical representation of his spirit, and then throws in a “whatever the hell that means” for good measure. I say that all the time around here, so I can buy into that. But in that way, you really do get the sense that this album is a physical manifestation of Ebert’s soul, with perhaps the slightly out of control vocals in “Remember Your Heart” representing his potential wild streak (just kidding).
As I mentioned in another post, perhaps the most interesting and impressive thing about this album is that Ebert is responsible for every single piece of this album. As a former clarinet player (I’m sure it’s extremely easy to believe that I was in the marching band in high school), I really appreciate that Ebert plays a clarinet, trumpet and even a violin, which he had never played before but had one lying around, at some point on this album (among many other instruments of course). Ebert takes DIY to a new level, and it’s a true, literal example of a “solo record” made even more great by the depth of sound that the album has from start to finish.
It’s hard not to imagine that this album as a whole will take the same course as The Edward Sharpe ATMZ album and “Truth” did. At first, I will hear them and think, “That was pretty cool.” And then after repeated listens, I’ll start to really, as Carles would say, “get” it. Even “Million Years”, which I heard once or twice on SiriusXMU and have listened to a few times since then, is already getting better and better with each listen. That’s how I feel right now. It’s a pretty cool album. For now at least, though I’m fairly confident that getting to know these songs a little bit better will let out all a whole new level of appreciation/enjoyment. And I feel like while the upbeat tunes like “In The Twilight” are early standouts, some of the more subtle tracks, like the slightly downtempo “Old Friend” and the soulful “Glimpses” are bursting with potential to become album favorites.
An impressive solo effort, in the truest form of the word “solo”.
The album will be released to the masses on March 1 on Community Music (via Vagrant Records).
Alexander – In The Twilight
Alexander – Glimpses
Alexander track listing:
1. Let’s Win!
2. Awake My Body
3. Truth
4. In The Twilight
5. Bad Bad Love
6. Old Friend
7. A Million Years
8. Remember Our Heart
9. Glimpses
10. Let’s Make A Deal To Not Make A Deal
