Beach Music was the first occasion on which (Sandy) Alex G (Alex Giannascoli) did not write all of the album’s songs in one sharp burst. Instead, he wrote the songs around his touring schedule, the result of which is an eclectic album that oscillates wildly in style, depending on what he was listening to at the time of writing, from Americana-tinged country to deafening noise-rock.
(Sandy) Alex G “Kicker” from ‘Beach Music’, Originally released 2015 on Domino Record Co.
“House of Sugar” is the type of album that gets you banned from having access to the aux cord—(Sandy) Alex G’s latest collection of bedroom-ideated folk and pop songs may feel like it would set the perfect mood for a road trip, but in reality it is, for lack of a better term impossible to make heads or tails of upon first encounter. Lead single “Gretel” probably stands as the best candidate for introducing the Orchid Tapes–reared songwriter to the rest of your car, a pristine pop song built upon an inexplicably functional formula of obscure instrumentation, venturing beyond that—through the faux-Southern accent of “Bad Man” and the numerous over-the-top experimental fillers might prove an exercise in defending an acquired taste.
A glitchy abstraction like “Near” may not grab your over caffeinated co-pilots’ attention immediately, but House of Sugar’s appeal ironically isn’t as aggressively sugar-coated as Alex G’s previous earworm singles. Taking his bedroom ideas to a Domino Recordings-signed artist’s bevy of resources, Sugar lucidly displays facets of the songwriter’s personality we’ve yet to see, both sounding the most alien to his previous discography and the most comfortable in terms of taking creative risks.
There’s as much of Alex’s character in the dream-inspired hoedown “Southern Sky” as there is in the shimmering interlude “Taking,” while the live recording of “Sugar House” that closes the album serves less as a bonus track and more as a crossing over from the surrealist House of Sugar universe into a palpable reality. There’s certainly an argument to be made for Sugar being a great record to listen to while drifting across state lines, though it feels more like an album to jam while drifting in and out of conscious states.
“Southern Sky” appears on (Sandy) Alex G’s new album ‘House of Sugar’ – out September 13th, 2019 on Domino Recordings.
House of Sugar – (Sandy) Alex G’s ninth overall album and his third for Domino – is a highly meticulous, cohesive album: a statement of artistic purpose, showing off his ear for both persistent earworms and sonic adventurism.
At the southern tip of Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood, there’s an imposing structure on the Delaware River that somehow looks equal parts parking garage, hospital and convention center. The building is none of these things, but it’s just as overwhelming as each one of them. It houses Sugar House Casino, a dystopian abyss of colorful images leaping forth from slot machines and laser-bright ceiling lights hovering over card tables where gamblers can earn $150 in blackjack, lose it and swear off gambling forever (which may or may not have happened to this writer). Philly resident (Sandy) Alex G’s newest album, House of Sugar, his third for storied label Domino Recordings (and eighth or ninth overall, depending on who you ask), is named for this casino.
As unsettling as its namesake, the newest record from Alex Giannascoli at times improves on the inscrutable, circuitous experimentation of his Domino debut, Beach Music. At other times, it refines the accessible but still characteristically sauntering country-lite of Rocket, his masterful second album for the British indie label. In other words, House of Sugar sounds like a middle ground between the two albums that preceded it.
“Hope” appears on (Sandy) Alex G’s new album ‘House of Sugar’ – out September 13, 2019 on Domino Recordings.
“Gretel” appears on (Sandy) Alex G’s new album ‘House of Sugar’ – out September 1th3, 2019 on Domino Recordings.
“Southern Sky” appears on (Sandy) Alex G’s new album ‘House of Sugar’ – out September 13, 2019 on Domino Recordings.
House of Sugar, the new album from (Sandy) Alex G. Out September 13th on Domino Record Co.
House of Sugar – (Sandy) Alex G’s ninth overall album and his third for Domino – is a highly meticulous, cohesive album: a statement of artistic purpose, showing off his ear for both persistent earworms and sonic adventurism.
Alex Giannascoli’s new album, House of Sugar, is populated by gamblers, chancers, and conmen — the same spirits that have haunted his work for a decade. Now that (Sandy) Alex G has outgrown his status as indie’s best kept secret, he’s grappling with those demons in public. Alex — the 26-year-old singer, songwriter, bandleader, pitch-shift enthusiast, poet, session guitarist, book-lover, son, friend, brother, boyfriend, and aspiring pool shark better known as (Sandy) Alex G — is in New York for a few days to put some final touches on his new album a collection of haunted-feeling collection of off-kilter Americana.
“Hope” appears on (Sandy) Alex G’s new album ‘House of Sugar’ – out September 13th, 2019 on Domino Recordings.
What kinda 24-year-old can writes lyrics as light-hearted and fun as, “Sittin’ at the swim club stretchin’ my quads, everyone wants to be a part of my squad”, and brutally honest as, “She doesn’t wanna see me tonight, not for a minute, not for a second, she says ‘nothing here for you to make right’”? (Sandy) Alex G, that’s who. While those in certain circles are probably crying out that he’s far from an undiscovered act, we believe the multi-instrumentalist from Philadelphia is someone everyone should know. Discovered largely via his releases on Bandcamp, and now signed to Domino, Alex G began his career making music in his bedroom, and he’s still there (only ’cause he’s uncomfortable relinquishing control of the songwriting process in a typical studio setting). Give him a listen, you won’t regret it.
(Sandy) Alex G – “Proud” from ‘Rocket’, released 2017 on Domino Record Co.
(Sandy) Alex G is one of those artists who dumps dozens of lo-fi albums on Bandcamp, but few catch the spotlight the way he has over the last three years — and deservedly so given the musical growth visible on his latest album Rocket, proving those “prodigy” tags slapped on him back then weren’t over-exaggerated hype.
On its surface, Rocket is a vaguely Americana record where he finally sheds Elliott Smith comparisons for those of Cassadaga-era Bright Eyes, but it’s the experimental tracks. On Rocket, he steps past the Elliott Smith comparisons and into an unsuspected combination of beautiful Americana-evoking tunes often fit with strings (“Proud,” “Bobby,” “Powerful Man”) and left-field instrumentals that vary between hardcore freak-outs (“Brick”) and restless, wild fits (“Horse”). What some might find discombobulated is one cohesive vision in the mind of Alex Giannascoli. A guy-next-door songwriter so brilliant and special that Frank Ocean nabbed his talents for both Endless and Blonde, Giannascoli tells tales that aren’t always relatable and might only make sense to him, but still somehow feel like home.
SIDE A 1. Change My Mind (0:01– 2:40) * 2. Kicker (2:39 – 5:28) * 3. New (5:31 – 8:45) 4. Joy (8:49 – 13:30) 5. Child’s Play (13:34 – 15:49) 6. Promise (15:50 – 19:19) 7. Trash (19:25 – 22:08) 8. Trade (22:10 – 23:26) 9. After Ur Gone (23:28 – 25:47) * 10. Mud (25:56 – 27:44) * 11. Mary (27:48 – 31:02) 12. Bug (31:05 – 33:46) 13. Kara (33:47 – 36:49) 14. Clouds (36:52 – 39:14) 15. Salt (39:18 – 43:55) *
SIDE B 16. Soaker (43:59 – 45:37) 17. Sorry (45:39 – 48:20) 18. Nintendo 64 (48:23 – 51:00) 19. Hollow (51:02 – 55:07) * 20. Skating (55:08 – 57:40) ** 21. Memory (57:41 – 1:00:32) * 22. Tie Me Down (The Skin Cells) (1:00:35 – 1:02:58) 23. Scar Tattoo (1:03:01 – 1:06:04) 24. Sarah (1:06:06 – 1:08:57) 25. Snot (1:09:01 – 1:14:00) * 26. Sandy (1:14:03 – 1:16:42) 27. Break (1:16:46 – 1:19:41) ** 28. In Love (1:19:42 – 1:23:11) ** 29. Waiting For You (1:23:15 – 1:26:43) ** 30. Mis (1:26:49 – 1:30:05) ** 31. Change (1:30:06 – 1:32:08) ** 32. Explain (1:32:11 – 1:33:45) 33. Message (1:33:46 – 1:36:30) * 34. Clouds (1:36:32 – 1:38:55) 35. Go Away (1:38:56 – 1:39:55)
Whether the spine says (Sandy) Alex G (or just Alex G), the D.I.Y. Bandcamp legend continues to expand beyond bedroom songwriting and no longer has to worry about listeners getting their hands on physical copies of his records. I think Alex G may actually snore in melodies. Even a cursory listen to Rocket makes one thing abundantly clear: Alex Giannascoli knows his way around a song, maybe even in his sleep. For all the ease with which he slips into a perfect strummer like “Proud”, it’s no less natural for him to shift gears into a sound collage (“Horse”) or an industrial shouter (“Brick”), always patient, letting sounds simmer, and finding striking moments in what for most musicians would just be “dicking around” before, during, or after the “real song.”
Alex G has opened up to find a language that speaks for more than just himself.” Look not further than “Bobby” to understand that praise. There are no tricks here. Soft-stepping strums, violin, and the vocal help of Emily Yacina come together to make this heart-on-a-sleeve, tender duet one of the most relatable songs of the year so far. “Bobby” talks to feelings we all know: depression, guilt, suspicion, and, most movingly, the desire to abandon our hangups, habits, and ruts to be better for someone else. You won’t find a simpler lyric than “I’d leave him (clean it/burn them) for you/ If you want me to,” but it translates to any language with a beating heart.
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