REVIEW: Alexander - Alexander

Alexander
Alexander
(Inertia)
(out of 5)

In late 2009 while staying with a friend in Marina Del Ray, Los Angeles, I was introduced to the hobo-folk-symphony that is Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. I’m not sure why, but there was something about the Cat Stevens meets the Pogues genius of Up From Below that perfectly fit my LA experience - to the point where that album always takes me back to Santa Monica drinks and soaking up the atmosphere on Venice Beach.

For proof that my love for ex-Ima Robot frontman Alex Ebert’s music wasn’t just the result of a bloody good time, I need only look to his new solo effort Alexander. What I found were multiple influences, conjuring moments of brilliance, like on the whistling prairie-rap ‘Truth’, and the Dylan-esque ‘Bad Bad Love’. ‘Old Friend’ feels like vintage Springsteen, with its vivid narrative that aches with melancholy, and ‘In The Twilight’ could easily fit on a Paul Simon album from the early seventies.

There are times the quirkiness can feel a little contrived, like on the almost silly ‘Lets Make A Deal To Not Make A Deal’, but for the most part Alexander inspires me to start booking my next trip to the California coast.

By Matt Ruys