Alexander Album Release - 'Say Hello'

You may remember our feature last month of UK indie rockers Alexander who, having recently signed to I Am Mighty Records, were pushing the release of their debut single 'You Lost Yourself'. As promised in the post, the Geordie quartet are set to release debut album 'Say Hello' on the 26/04/13 and I've had a sneaky listen to album-preview video (which is also available for you to listen to below).

Maybe I'm Wrong, track 2, sounds like one to listen out for, with picky guitar arpeggios and sandy-sounding half-time drums driving this guitar ballad whilst lead single You Lost Yourself sits confidently at track 3. Dividing the indie-rockers is acoustic ballad A Sweet Song which sounds particularly pleasant, before Bloc Party-sounding Vapour Trails picks things back up whilst the reverse guitar and uplifting feel of Old Fashioned Romance at the end of album stands out to me as the strongest track. The production and the song-writing is as good and current as the single suggested, however I feel the real stand-out tracks on this album are the slower ones; although the band seems to feel more at home with the energetic, indie-pop tracks, I sense a real calling with the half-time feels and obscure lead-guitar parts ringing out at the back of the mix.

This is, of course, just my humble opinion; why not decide for yourself and have a listen to the album-preview video below. If you like what you hear, be sure to support our up and coming artists and get hold of a copy from iTunes here when it drops on Friday.

Observing the Ghost: Burn the Tsunami

Back on British shores, Observing the Ghost are flying the flag for the South Coast here in the UK. You may remember their feature on the blog back in September last year; founded in early 2011, the quartet have been busy making a name for themselves touring and releasing, and 4th April saw the release of 'Burn the Tsunami', the band's first album since debut EP 'We Will Find The Sun'. The band have since performed at the O2 Academy Islington, supported Placebo drummer Steve Forrest's new side project, and signed to Coffee Jingle Records.

'Fragile' is the first track from 'Burn the Tsunami', kicking off the album with a definite nod to a string of great influences including Incubus, The Mars Volta, and Placebo. Technically it's a great track; really tight with its odd pushes in the extended intro but the vocals may not be to everyone's tastes, they feel a little strained in the higher register at times. Musically its a little disorientating but of course in a good way with an informed choice of dissonant chords as the listener is pulled from left to right in time with the ebbs and flows of the feels and genres explored. Halfway through, there's a great extended musical section akin to Incubus' 'Sick Sad Little World' as the guitar twists and winds, leading confidently whilst the rhythm section hold everything down and leads us back to some slight familiarity. It's quite a lengthy track, owed to the solo section in the middle, but sounds great and is a strong opener which sets the scene well for the rest of the album.

You can keep up to date with Observing the Ghost on Facebook, whilst 'Burn the Tsunami' is available now on iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon.