Alexander the Great Seeks to Live Up to Their Name
Great’s full-length debut shows them trying a bit of everything
Alexander the Great
Faces Change
Released on May 19, 2009
Indiana doesn’t exactly seem like
it should be a hotbed for talented musicians. However, combine a lot
of small-town boredom with loads of warehouses that are ideal for shows,
and you’re bound to come up with some fairly talented acts. Alexander the Great, a five-piece that hails from Bloomington,
emerges as one of those talented acts with Faces Change, their first
full-length album. Even though it sounds like they’re still trying
to find their musical footing with their debut Faces Change, they produce a cohesive effort with several
standout songs.
What is going to make Alexander the
Great go from a merely listenable band to a group to watch out for is
their versatility. While most of the time, they maintain a more pop
rock/punk sound, the beginning of “Jetsetting Jets” demonstrates
the beauty that they can construct from just a piano and an electric
guitar. When the drums come in, it doesn’t ruin the calm, but rather
jolt the listener out of complacency with the track. This all happens
within two minutes, making “Jets” one of the more cinematic tracks
on the album.
Unfortunately, the same praises can’t
be made of their tracks that start out with an ambling guitar, like
“Home Alone in Central Park.” The first minute truly does just sound
like someone messing around during a soundcheck. When the vocals start,
along with some actual coordinated instrumentation, the song picks up
for the better. It more than makes up for the forgetful beginning, with
frenetic percussion and guitar parts, as well as overwrought vocals
that help to convey a sense of urgency in the track.
Though the majority of their songs
tend to favor a more fast-paced tempo, it’s the juxtaposition of slower
rhythms and instruments with catchy beats and guitars that hints at
a depth that the band possesses. Were it not for their inclusion of
a slower pace at some points, they could easily be dismissed as another
great band to soundtrack a party, but not actually sit down and listen
to.
Their instrumental depth is obvious
when listening to the album, but it’s their lyrical complexity that
could use some work. None of the tracks really stand out in that way,
and it is unfortunate—“Tree of Knowledge” comes close with the
biblical implications (and a great brass section), but they seem to
default to clichés about love and loss in other cases. The album as
a whole would benefit from more developed lyrics. However, given the
musical range they’ve managed to show early in their career, lyrical
growth shouldn’t be too far behind.
High Point
Their musicality. By including piano and brass parts, they set themselves apart from other “scene” bands.
Low Point
They tend to be shallow with their lyrics—if they develop them a little bit more, they’ll be able to live up to the musical parts of the tracks.
Posted by Alyssa Vincent on May 21, 2009 @ 6:00 am