ALBUM REVIEW: Last Dreamer – ALiX
Bringing the old school psych vibes with plenty of Italian flair and colour, alongside a hefty dose of earthy blues and gritty garage rock, ALIX pull all these elements together to create an intoxicatingly dreamy and exciting album. The Bologna quartet follow up their softer album Good 1 with a return to their heavier roots, fusing the grittier, grungy elements of their debut Ground with swirling psychedelia and groove-laden blues riffs. Last Dreamer is a richly layered and effortlessly smooth album, bringing a bewitching and comforting psychedelic strangeness to your ears. It is made all the more vivid and captivating by Alice Albertazzi’s unique vocals, and makes for an album that could be used catalyst for artistic, abstract dreaming.
There is something luxuriously vintage about Last Dreamer; flamboyant kaleidoscopic colours are intermingled with an analogue warmth that you tend to get with the late 1960s/early 1970s records. You can imagine yourself walking through sunlit streets in summer’s full haze, living it up and with no worries, living the life of a dreamer. The feel-good and laidback vibe that transcends the album is intoxicating; you find yourself lusting after more of this magic psychedelic potion. Another aspect of the album’s charm is that ALIX have given it a fuzzy edge by musically tapping into that authentic garage rock sound and taking it up a level with old school, earthy blues riffing. While the album is cohesive with an excellent flow, there is a real desire to move through as many different shades of psychedelia and sonic environments throughout. Considering each song is densely packed with a multitude of layers, the album’s steady pacing is quite surprising and refreshing as everything works in harmony to keep the journey gradually moving forward whilst allowing you to be fully immersed and smelling the roses.
ALIX also present a refreshing perspective and quirky disposition to the genre that is hard to describe. Overall, Last Dreamer does feel like it has been plucked straight from a dream sequence with all its paradoxically nonsensical and sensical moments, augmented by a subtle lucidity that allows you to feel and hold the musical notes as a vast array of colours in your mind. The album taps into a really specific nostalgia, when you first heard those bluesy rock riffs and how they felt exhilarating, and various moments on this album contain that nostalgia. With that in mind, Last Dreamer feels like a warm and familiar hug which invigorates your soul.
The album opens up with Anymore, which is one of the heavier and darker songs on the album. A funky, groove-laden riff is augmented by a half-time groove that doesn’t fail to get you swaying and nodding your head. It is here that Albertazzi’s vocals sound the most haunting and solemn, as the main vocals sit delicately on top of the hammering drums. Title track Last Dreamer is where the album ventures into the metaphorical dreamland, packed with catchy melodies and dreamy effects processing; it is here that you can hear that late 1960s/early 1970s psychedelic vibe kick into full swing. Ride Your Light carries on the aforementioned vibes but is more jangly by nature as it starts to inject some of the more garage rock influences behind the album into the mix.
Empty Space is an all out psychedelic heavy blues track. With the rhythm section locking into the classic blues grooves, the guitar is free to let loose with plenty of licks and the vocals have a wonderful, earthy attitude. Sweetly Waiting follows in the foot steps of Anymore. It is a slightly darker, more brooding song and lead by a constantly moving bass riff that allows the guitars to drone and experiment over the top. Light Is On is the song that you can see yourself listening to on a hot summer’s day whilst kicking back in the sun. A jangly and spacey song, it captures all the delights of summer in one song. Crash feels a bit more grungy and odd, as big riffs and spacey psychedelics bounce off of one another, which adds a strange dynamic to the song. Album closer Why Don’t You is a punchy, punky sounding song that comes in just shy of three minutes and features an incredibly catchy vocal melody. Full of energy and straight to the point, it is a great closer to the album.
ALIX’s vivaciously vibrant and brilliantly colourful outing will have you immersed in a wonderful dream. Distinct and intriguing, Last Dreamer isn’t your usual psych rock album and as a result it feels invigorating, energetic and smooth like the melted yet constantly moving wax in a lava lamp. A little gem of an album that is not to be overlooked.
Rating: 8/10
Last Dreamer is set for release on November 25th via Go Down Records.
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