Alex G - House of Sugar
After a two-year hiatus following his critically acclaimed album ‘Rocket’, Alex G has returned with a marvellous genre collage. Incorporating elements of contemporary hip-hop, folk, new jazz, techno, psychedelic rock and 90s American rock, Alex G’s albums are always diverse, and this is no exception.
House of Sugar begins with a caterwauling vocal before sliding into a familiar Alex G groove. Layered vocals and melodies floating over the strange vacuum of synths. ‘Walk Away’ has a tremendously ethereal quality, which is retained throughout. ‘Hope’ is the sonic equivalent of a babbling brook, it turns rapidly yet politely. It is charming, interesting and above all an excellent song. The melody is addictive, swaying before ending abruptly.
Southern Sky elicits childish playfulness, slipping into a ring-around-the-roses-esque melody. Creative and diverse, Alex G springboards himself from one sound to another in this indefinable LP. It retains the common slouching tempo, yet still makes something unique, loveable, and with a wealth of charm.
The warbling bass, and needy vocal repeating ‘you’ on ‘Near’ is slightly off putting, and slightly disorientating. It has the hallmarks of a typical love song, the contents sweet, but at times it’s unnerving, basking in the surreal – which also redeems it somewhat. It is followed by what sounds like a techno hymn – Project 2, flattened snares and hissing hi-hats accompany a bass-y, all-encompassing organ sound. ‘Sugar’ is a stand-out, a synth-y epic, which feels distinctly spacey.
House of Sugar is a smorgasbord of instrumentation, it feels like Alex G has brought almost everything with strings into the fold. The melodies are creative, and seamlessly transition into one another yet always feel different. The rhythms are often multi-layered and complex, yet all come down to a familiar beat. It has a distinctly sunny nostalgic character about it, with both the homely acoustic texture, soft-vocals and graceful calm.
8.5/10
