Since the invention and rise of the internet, niche media and music have risen greatly in popularity. Sounds that may have otherwise been thrown out for being too experimental can now be discovered by communities who hear them and feel seen. One indie musician who has been gaining many new fans recently is Alex G, a surprisingly local alternative rock artist from Havertown, Pennsylvania. As of writing this, Alex has released eleven albums, including two movie soundtracks (I Saw the TV Glow and We’re All Going to the World’s Fair). He has developed a unique style of music by experimenting with sound in ways atypical for the indie rock genre, along with incorporating descriptive lyrics, which together create often nostalgic and eerie songs. I find his work fascinating and frankly beautiful, and would like to analyze certain songs and choices he makes along with the emotional mood they deliver.
When looking at his work, one element we can see is his use of memorable instrumental melodies for each song. His songs typically include some form of drums, guitar, synth, and piano, along with various other instruments. But the melodies he includes make each song feel special. Some examples would be the synth melodies that open “Sarah” and “Treehouse,” two of his most popular songs. God Save the Animals has plenty of unique riffs, such as the piano in “Headroom Piano” and the strings in “Early Morning Waiting.” All of these melodies invoke a feeling of melancholy nostalgia in the listener, especially as they are altered to sound vaguely echoey. The ability of these elements to express emotion without words is astounding. They usually open and close the songs, and weave through the lyrics throughout in a way that you never get to prioritize the chorus or the instrumental over the other, but experience them together as a whole.
Not only in strong melodies, but in other specific, unique choices does Alex G’s experimental style convey a bittersweet mood. I have already mentioned his use of echo effects, but there are also style choices that only appear in one or two songs. For example, his song “Blessing” has a totally different sound than most of his work, experimenting with dynamics and going quickly from quiet whispering to yelling. His song “Poison Root” uses the sound effect of a dog barking at the beginning, recalling memories of visiting cousins’ or grandparents’ houses for many, as their dog gets all riled up and jumps up on you. In Trick, his song “Memory” has a long screeching sound in the middle of it, and “Clouds” is played on a piano that you can tell is aged. The uniqueness of these choices, I feel, allows the listener to project back to a specific time in their youth, because– unlike the more saturated sounds in other songs– you may have only heard noises like these in certain instances, instances the song can more easily bring you back to.
To build a house, you need a strong foundation, and as we have discussed, Alex’s instrumental foundation is rock solid, which makes it all the more wonderful that he builds the lyrics just as great. Alex’s lyrics are vague, but in a way that makes them painfully relatable to many different situations. Some examples are “I was asleep like a child/ I walked the idiot mile” from “Mission,” “Good people got something to lose” from “Gretel,” and “Like a kid, I ran it past/ Rolling in the tiger grass/ We were mean and seventeen/ Make it like a dream” from “Afterlife.” Not very specific, but in a way that conveys the emotion all the same. These lyrics are almost always sung in a dreamy manner, sometimes done in a high-pitched or edited voice. The intangible experiences in the lyrics, along with the otherworldly vocals, cause the listener to feel as though they are reaching for something hard to grasp, like a distant memory.
Alex G’s style brings forth such a strong feeling of nostalgia, which really transports you to another time in your life or makes you want to create good memories that you can look back on. The dreamy, wispiness of his songs with his experimental music choices brings a mood to the listener that is truly one-of-a-kind.
