I wasn't sure about this record. I mean, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes have their choral freak folk charms all lined up in a row, one-upping the Polyphonic Spree and all that, but where does one go from there? Its a heavily niche, yet strangely marketable, hole to have dug. So when Alexander Ebert, frontman of said act, crawled out to go it along, I was wary. Dubious even.
Until I heard that RZA was remixing a song. And that said song, 'Truth', is one of the best tracks of the year. AND said song featured on the new series opener of Breaking Bad.
That's a pantload of boxes ticked right there.
Alexander is actually a pretty damn cool album, all round. Ebert's songwriting is on song, the intricacies are all accounted for, and there is a better focus here than on his travelling band's efforts. It's an album I expected to do very well this year, yet has seemed to struggled getting its head above water. There has been a lot said about eclecticism, and Devendra Banhart-esque freak flights of fancy, but that's all rubbish. Alexander is a worthy album, all round.
RZA says so.
Alexander - Let's Win!
Alexander - Truth
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