Alexander Wolfe - Skeletons (11/07/2012)
Alexander Wolfe is not very well known here on Australian shores. ‘Skeletons’ is the sophomore album from the London singer-songwriter who has been making music since his late teens.
A quick dip into his past would reveal a brief musical collaboration with Jamie Cullum but when that band fell by the wayside Wolfe took to a solo career. His debut LP ‘Morning Brings A Flood’ was released in 2010 and garnered Wolfe with several awards and an ever growing international fan base and an upward trajectory.
Our opening track is also the records title, ‘Skeletons’, it’s touchingly simple in its construction and feels light and dreamy with Wolfe’s almost softly pleading “She’s always on my mind” in the chorus wafting over you.
The jarring piano chords and guitar strumming of ‘Fangs’; almost shutters you out of that daydream state. This song is so much darker and moodier than the opener and such a contrast. If you could picture Jeff Buckley at his most melancholic, this song would be it. Blindingly beautiful; and also soul-crushingly sad in equal parts. Relationship songs, particularly about break-ups, that are written with pure honest emotion should leave you feeling exactly like this and ‘Fangs’ nails it.
’Horses’ is similar to ‘Fangs’ in that it also utilises some heavy piano chords to build a dark atmospheric song. The complex placement of organs and strings in the layers of this song particularly towards the middle and back end are astounding. It builds up in such a way that you don’t even notice the crescendo until you’re swimming in it.
It’s not all doom and gloom with Wolfe though, ‘Someone Else’s Song’ skips by with some egg shakers and dusted snare and is a little reminiscent of work by Bob Dylan. “I can’t find the words to say, I don’t see no other way, I won’t be no runaway this time” are some lovely little poetic rolling lyrics. While his cover of Neil Young’s ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down’ rumbles along in true folk singer-songwriter style and oozes the lyrical narrative out of every pore almost more so than the original.
The closing track ‘Separated By A Smile’ is sublime, with touches of jazz and blues all rolled up into 5.34 minutes of music. It’s the longest track on the album but you barely notice the time roll by.
Alexander Wolfe’s vocals on this record are astonishing, from quiet almost whisperings to soaring long notes, it’s so easy to get lost in his harmonics. For this record he draws influence from such contemporary artists as Ryan Adams and Laura Marling, but it’s obvious his roots lie deep within the folk realm of such greats as Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell.
Considering that this record is a ‘DIY’ job from Wolfe the production is near perfect. It retains just enough grittiness in the right places to not sound too clean and still feel like a genuine folk record.
‘Skeletons’ single is available on iTunes now, while ‘Skeletons’ the album will be released in September 2012 through Dharma Records.
Carina Nilma
A quick dip into his past would reveal a brief musical collaboration with Jamie Cullum but when that band fell by the wayside Wolfe took to a solo career. His debut LP ‘Morning Brings A Flood’ was released in 2010 and garnered Wolfe with several awards and an ever growing international fan base and an upward trajectory.
Our opening track is also the records title, ‘Skeletons’, it’s touchingly simple in its construction and feels light and dreamy with Wolfe’s almost softly pleading “She’s always on my mind” in the chorus wafting over you.
The jarring piano chords and guitar strumming of ‘Fangs’; almost shutters you out of that daydream state. This song is so much darker and moodier than the opener and such a contrast. If you could picture Jeff Buckley at his most melancholic, this song would be it. Blindingly beautiful; and also soul-crushingly sad in equal parts. Relationship songs, particularly about break-ups, that are written with pure honest emotion should leave you feeling exactly like this and ‘Fangs’ nails it.
’Horses’ is similar to ‘Fangs’ in that it also utilises some heavy piano chords to build a dark atmospheric song. The complex placement of organs and strings in the layers of this song particularly towards the middle and back end are astounding. It builds up in such a way that you don’t even notice the crescendo until you’re swimming in it.
It’s not all doom and gloom with Wolfe though, ‘Someone Else’s Song’ skips by with some egg shakers and dusted snare and is a little reminiscent of work by Bob Dylan. “I can’t find the words to say, I don’t see no other way, I won’t be no runaway this time” are some lovely little poetic rolling lyrics. While his cover of Neil Young’s ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down’ rumbles along in true folk singer-songwriter style and oozes the lyrical narrative out of every pore almost more so than the original.
The closing track ‘Separated By A Smile’ is sublime, with touches of jazz and blues all rolled up into 5.34 minutes of music. It’s the longest track on the album but you barely notice the time roll by.
Alexander Wolfe’s vocals on this record are astonishing, from quiet almost whisperings to soaring long notes, it’s so easy to get lost in his harmonics. For this record he draws influence from such contemporary artists as Ryan Adams and Laura Marling, but it’s obvious his roots lie deep within the folk realm of such greats as Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell.
Considering that this record is a ‘DIY’ job from Wolfe the production is near perfect. It retains just enough grittiness in the right places to not sound too clean and still feel like a genuine folk record.
‘Skeletons’ single is available on iTunes now, while ‘Skeletons’ the album will be released in September 2012 through Dharma Records.
Carina Nilma