CD of The Week

Mysterious is one way I’d describe Alex G. Even in interviews for his new album rollout, he seems pretty quiet, and not in a self-absorbed way. I enjoy the secret. Whether it's Alex G, Sandy, or (Sandy) Alex G, it's all part of the allure. He first came onto the music scene through lo-fi albums on Bandcamp, with catchy hooks and quirky vocal manipulations that I remember seeing all over Tumblr. To this day, his early work has the most plays on streaming services, despite his more critically acclaimed albums from the past decade. Nevertheless, Alex became a legend playing on Frank Ocean’s Blonde, which could be considered one of the greatest albums in modern R&B. In addition, he beautifully scored the Jane Schoenbrun films We’re All Going to the World's Fair and I Saw the TV Glow.

Having listened to Alex G from the start, I’ll be honest: I’ve been pretty hot and cold on his releases. I feel as though he’s tried too many ideas on an album that are a little undercooked, and he’s made some production decisions that don’t do anything emotionally for the track and are just meant to be weird. That being said, I’ve continued listening because I’m still intrigued. He’s a great songwriter. From his last LP God Save the Animals, I’ve had tracks on repeat like “Runner” and “Blessing.” With Headlights being his tenth album and his first on a major label (RCA), I definitely wanted to see what Alex would bring to the table.

I was hooked on the first single, “Afterlife.” Simple beats, acoustic guitars, and mandolin start the track soothingly. At the end of the chorus, Alex sings this “eeeEEEEE—” melody almost sounding out of place, but it's an earworm. It reminds me of R.E.M. in their Out of Time era. It’s hard to know exactly what a songwriter is writing about sometimes. “Afterlife” seems to be a recollection on childhood and screenshots of nostalgia with its lyrics about hearing a song on the radio and lights from a TV screen. Alex’s lyrics are crafted in a perfect way to be relatable and specifically worded not to know what the song is about, but instead to relate it to yourself.

The overall sound of this record is familiar for Alex G fans. “Real Thing” has a jangle that’s a throwback to his older work reminiscent of Pavement, and a keyboard sound found all over his earlier Bandcamp days. The noise coming from the acoustic guitar at the end of the track gives this awkward feeling that works. The production is so sleek, making Headlights fly by; it’s a pleasant listen. There’s a longing feeling in the melody of "Louisiana." Alex’s voice is distorted and pitched high. The beat of the drums feels far away, like it’s floating behind you in and out of the mix. Huge guitar chords fill the middle of the song and again towards the end, making a wall of noise. The track has a vibe. “Bounce Boy” has another vocal modulation like something off Hi How Are You by Daniel Johnston. In this context, it feels like a hyperpop song, with the keyboards and automated drum beats.

“Far and Wide” has a vocal delivery standout like a punk rock song from The Dead Milkmen, but with acoustic, orchestral instrumentals. The low-range lead guitar echoes like it came out of the Twin Peaks theme. A similar tone continues on the title track. Catchy, easygoing melodies groove the song to a crescendo, then after sharp keyboard hits, it just picks back up like nothing happened. Before we end the album, there’s a piano ballad and a choir on “Is it You in There?” This is definitely something I’ve never heard on one of his records before. The LP ends on a peppy indie rocker. “Logan Hotel (Live)” has a sing-along “na na na” and Alex singing “Come on now, I ain’t gonna let you go.” The guitar has such a great rock and roll tone. It’s a superb ending.

Headlights is Alex G’s best sounding and most cohesive album to date. It has all the sounds he’s done before, but done with more context and gumption. Alex G has a pair of hometown shows at The Fillmore this fall, a sold-out gig on October 11th and then again on October 12th.

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