About a month ago, "the internet's busiest music nerd" (Anthony Fantano) reviewed Alex Cameron's "Oxy Music". The thumbnail caught my eye with the cover's obvious reference to Roxy Music.
A quick YouTube search of Alex verified my suspicions, and within a few hours I had his four full length releases.
I listened to all of them through, and while I didn't hate anything about it, he isn't easily easily pigeonholed. I kept playing them trying to get a handle, and before long, I was hooked completely. I'm reminded of Bryan and Roxy, but I also hear a little Bruce Springsteen, and wait...Is that Eddie Money? Does "Stranger's Kiss", the duet with Angel Olsen really sound like Meatloaf and Ellen Foley?
I emailed Sal, asking if he'd heard of the guy, and he said no, but agreed that "Bad For The Boys" was definitely an homage to Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town", similar to the way Bowie's "Ashes To Ashes" references and updates "Space Oddity".
Imagine Warren Zevon writing "Two Tickets To Paradise", as a tragicomedy, with the protagonist drunk, and on drugs, and paradise a dead end of degradation and dread, but it's funny, and delivered with swagger.
Born in Sydney, Australia on September 11, 1988, he says, "I write about the outlier, the table-for-one-guy, the guy whose life is a constellation of microscopic tragedies. Failure has been underexplored in music. My characters come from a place where ambition, crippling self-doubt and tragedy intersect."
I didn't know what to make of him at first. I'm largely involved with instrumental music, and it's been awhile since I took on a new songwriter, but I kept listening, and I'm sold. I think he's an artist worth checking out, and hope he doesn't end up like the characters he so convincingly inhabits.
From "Jumping The Shark" (2016)
From "Forced Witness" (2017)
6 comments:
Very groovy!
Thanks BBJ
Dead eyes is such a great song. Looking forward to that Rolling Stone/Mojo Magazine review with its 3 stars included. But seriously, thanks for sharing this, great stuff.
An unknown quantity but you had me from his line "...a place where ambition, crippling self-doubt and tragedy intersect." Perfect for the weekend....cheers!
An artist I've never heard of, and thus - can't wait to hear what you recommend!
Listening now - really cool!! Thanks for teeing this up; I'd never have known about him. I like his sound a lot.
A nice unexpected surprise from the universe.
Post a Comment