news
& events
discography
biography
mp3s
video
consume alex
reviews
photos
links
join the email list
From StaticBeats:
I have mixed feelings about this release. The first time hearing it I really couldn't stand it. It's synthpop hell. There is so much overuse of synth on this album it's uncanny. On many tracks I think if they could just get rid of the synth it might be a rather nice song.
I really hate giving independent artists a bad review so I decided to look into them a bit more. Upon reading the dossier I find that Hellothisisalex is comprised of two Canadians (neither of them named Alex) - Mark Prier and Melissa Creasey. Their list of favorite artists include: Brian Wilson, Cibo Matto, Pink Floyd, Cornelius, Air, and Radiohead. The dossier states that; "Hellothisisalex is an electronic pop duo that draws their influences from the 'big' 1960s-1970s psychedelic pop crowd. Songwriters like Brian Wilson and Syd Barrett sit among their favorites." Now, with that said (or rather 'read') I've gone back for a second listen. So, if psychedelic pop is what they're going for then they've definitely achieved it. Couple that with their listed favorites and influences and the idea of what they're after begins to become clearer. What set me off really is finding these artists and receiving music from them on two seperate occasions via the IDM List. You'd think music sent to the IDM list would have at least some sort of IDM base.
The one standout track on this album however is #6 - "Dinner at a restaurant". This is a lovely journey through French cuisine. The beats are crunchy, the melody is flutey, and the atmospherics accompany the song nicely.
From track6 however it's immediately back to the heavy synth songs. This style of music is definitely not my cup of tea. After a while I just have to turn it off. There's only so much synth I can take before I lose it.
My opinion of this album is that although not terrible, it's not all that great. Really, aside from the fact that they are specifically trying to creating this kind of music I don't know why they don't just get rid of the synth and leave the melodies and beats to guide you through an otherwise enjoyable album.