Album Review: Alex G - Beach Music
By Jonathan Fuchs, Contributor
[Domino; 2015]
Rating: 3/5
Key Tracks: “Bug,” “Kicker,” “Brite Boy”
Singer/songwriter Alex G has been making some buzz since his start in 2010, but has grown in the underground indie scene after the success of albums like Trick, Rules and DSU. Since then, critics and music lovers have praised him for his unique melodies, lyrics and vocals.
But on Beach Music, his seventh album and debut on Domino Records, Alex G focuses on making music to please hardcore fans instead of making music to gain new ones. While Beach Music has cool melodies and vocals that keep the listener invested for most of the album’s runtime, its different sound doesn’t match up with its typical lyrics and subject matter.
The best songs on Beach Music are on the first half of the album, which are similar to his previous album DSU. Production on tracks like “Bug” are comparable to that brought on previous albums, and the vocals on them are in the high-pitched style that fans know and love. Even some of the more obscure tracks like “Salt” have interesting atmospheres that know how to pull the listener in.
The problem with Beach Music is not that it sounds bad; in fact, every track on this album sounds really good. The problem is that it’s trying to be many different things at once. It’s hard to group this album into just one category, since each song sounds different. While it is great to challenge people’s expectations, it can also confuse what the listener is supposed to gain from the music’s content, especially if the lyrics aren’t anything special compared to past albums. While the instrumentals have changed, the lyrics and meaning haven’t, which makes the change seem meaningless.
There is not a single bad song on Beach Music. But its change in style calls for a change in subject matter as well, which is not provided by exemplary lyrics.
