Love, drugs, pain, obsession, and dogs.
By Leif Holmström
TRICK was originally released on Nov. 5, 2012, on Alex Giannascoli’s Bandcamp page, under the name Alex G. Receiving some acclaim at its release, TRICK would later gain major traction after it was re-released in 2015 by his new music publisher, Domino Recording Company. Since then, the album has garnered attention for its uniquely bittersweet and raw sounds that resonate amidst impressionistic and surreal lyrics.
Alex G tells stories of a man desperately in love with marijuana who hates people but loves animals and makes empty promises to a heartbroken girl. Fuzzy soundscapes ring throughout each song with a lo-fi acoustic guitar here and a distorted electric guitar there. Even in the highs of the album, there is an underlying sadness. The songs read like a damaged person expressing the depths of emotion with vague lyricism. Alex G’s voice wavers from falsetto to a delicate serenade, from tinny whines to a downtrodden confession.
However, the beauty of the album comes from a balance between consistency and range, with Alex G experimenting with different sounds and ideas. This creates songs that are all very distinct yet an album that is very cohesive.
Despite the 90s-inspired sad guitars, the album does not take itself too seriously. The guilty and heartbreaking ballad “Sarah” is one of Alex G’s most famous songs, and it was simply a bonus track added onto the 2015 re-release. TRICK without “Sarah” would feel completely different, but the heart of the album is a compilation of genuine lo-fi songs made by a 19-year-old. It does not necessarily build to a grand message. This shouldn’t take away from the melancholic stories or ethereal drifting between tracks, but should instead recontextualize a love for the album. It simply is as it is.
I came upon the album in mid-2021, entranced by the bittersweet melody of “Sarah” and psychedelic instrumentation of “Kute,” a song vaguely about cooking a chicken. I later found love for “Forever” and embraced the bouncing and sad guitars in “So.” Before I knew it, I had found one of my favorite albums. Listening to it now, I’m hit with a tinge of nostalgia for a time not long past, and I still feel as enchanted as I did that first listen.
10 years later, Alex G has grown and moved onto greater, high-fidelity works. 2022’s God Save the Animals returns to the motif of loving animals, with a more hopeful tone. Earlier this year, Alex G scored his first movie. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is a surrealist horror drama about the isolating connections the internet provides us, and the songs “Main Theme” and “End Song” sound reminiscent of an earlier depressing, acoustic Alex G. As his musical style and tonal repertoire advance, there is much hope for what Alex G can give us in coming years.
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