In August of 2007, after 8 years of innovating in Oakland, Alias went home. To snow and real seasons, to fresh air and familiarity. To Portland, Maine, a city which, despite plenty of inclement weather, has burned almost to the ground four times--whose Latin motto translates in no uncertain terms to “I will rise again.” Thus, that motto, “Resurgam,” became a doubly fitting title for Alias’ first solo instrumental album in five years, one which finds the accomplished electro/acoustic musician and beat-smith returning to a proven foundation, while building all else anew.
Perhaps owing to his recent experience crafting collaborative LPs (in 2006 with electro-pop chanteuse Tarsier; in 2005 with his multi-instrumentalist brother Ehren), this is Alias’ most melodic work yet. Second song “I Heart Drum Machines” opens with falling rain as strains of some lost symphony blow in, then unfurl grandly in a hail of chopped drums and xylophone. Later, “Death Watch” conceives a beat of cut-up strumming before Alias’ sheets of electric guitar create an aqueous reverberation akin to a waterfall being strung and played. Static, keys, and his own ooh’s combine to create loads of mellifluous depth. There are also three one-minute-plus explorations into the purely ambient--new territory for Alias--that play more as miniature opuses than interludes.
But Resurgam is also an album of heavy, intricate rhythms, as evidenced by introductory banger “New To A Few,” and “M.G. Jack,” which begins with the cool asceticism of Boards Of Canada, but peaks with an Avalanches-like exuberance, interweaving patterns of distorted beat-boxing, live percussion, Casio-styled effects, and burbling synth. For all of its melodic breadth, Resurgam is imbued with a hip-hop bent that has Alias exploring complex beat-fuckery a la Prefuse 73 even as he’s howling notes like Tunde Adibempe (“Resurgam”), or dicing a Re-Up Gang sample to sprinkle over pensive piano (“Autumnal Ego”).
Resurgam is also notable for its two collaborative tracks. The first, “Well Water Black” features the falsettos croons and low-toned poems of WHY?’s Yoni Wolf--a perfect bit of upbeat downer music that somehow unites The Cure and Burial before crashing into a propulsive, programmed drum solo from Alias. And toward the album’s end, the One AM Radio guests on “The Weathering,” which paints a wistful dream-scene via icy lyrics and frost-melting fuzz. Though Resurgam was recorded at home, in a six-month burst straddling a blustery winter, its songs feel worldly, considered, and warm, like gentle hands pushing the listener ever onward. By the time we reach Alias’ final wordless statement--titled “Oakland In The Rearview”--it’s easy to believe that we too have arrived at more comforting climes.
Perhaps owing to his recent experience crafting collaborative LPs (in 2006 with electro-pop chanteuse Tarsier; in 2005 with his multi-instrumentalist brother Ehren), this is Alias’ most melodic work yet. Second song “I Heart Drum Machines” opens with falling rain as strains of some lost symphony blow in, then unfurl grandly in a hail of chopped drums and xylophone. Later, “Death Watch” conceives a beat of cut-up strumming before Alias’ sheets of electric guitar create an aqueous reverberation akin to a waterfall being strung and played. Static, keys, and his own ooh’s combine to create loads of mellifluous depth. There are also three one-minute-plus explorations into the purely ambient--new territory for Alias--that play more as miniature opuses than interludes.
But Resurgam is also an album of heavy, intricate rhythms, as evidenced by introductory banger “New To A Few,” and “M.G. Jack,” which begins with the cool asceticism of Boards Of Canada, but peaks with an Avalanches-like exuberance, interweaving patterns of distorted beat-boxing, live percussion, Casio-styled effects, and burbling synth. For all of its melodic breadth, Resurgam is imbued with a hip-hop bent that has Alias exploring complex beat-fuckery a la Prefuse 73 even as he’s howling notes like Tunde Adibempe (“Resurgam”), or dicing a Re-Up Gang sample to sprinkle over pensive piano (“Autumnal Ego”).
Resurgam is also notable for its two collaborative tracks. The first, “Well Water Black” features the falsettos croons and low-toned poems of WHY?’s Yoni Wolf--a perfect bit of upbeat downer music that somehow unites The Cure and Burial before crashing into a propulsive, programmed drum solo from Alias. And toward the album’s end, the One AM Radio guests on “The Weathering,” which paints a wistful dream-scene via icy lyrics and frost-melting fuzz. Though Resurgam was recorded at home, in a six-month burst straddling a blustery winter, its songs feel worldly, considered, and warm, like gentle hands pushing the listener ever onward. By the time we reach Alias’ final wordless statement--titled “Oakland In The Rearview”--it’s easy to believe that we too have arrived at more comforting climes.
Alias: Resurgam
New To A Few
Alias
I Heart Drum Machines
Alias
Well Water Black
Alias
Oakland Morning
Alias
M.G. Jack
Alias
Prelude To A Death Watch
Alias
Death Watch
Alias
Place Of No More Choices
Alias
Resurgam
Alias
Autumnal Ego
Alias
Weathering
Alias
Justamachine
Alias
Oakland In The Rearview
Alias
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