Family Average: 4/7

Alex (you can drive my) Carr. That’s right I said the joke on everybodi’s minds. Not a real joke that is built with a punchline, set-up, or even meaning. Just a funny thing that catches you off guard when you read it. Alex Carr is a NYC based indie folk music producer. On his fourth album, Alex continues to explore more ideas musically. Will the family like what he’s been coming up with?

Listen along on Their Bandcamp and read on to find out:

This ticks all the boxes for that mellow indie bedroom rock vibe with its ambient instrumentals, leveled production, and subdued vocals. I can imagine myself sat in bed, staring at the ceiling in a half-dazed, self-reflect state listening to this. There’s just something about it that seems to necessitate being wrapped up in a giant duvet. Overall, the composition is really nice. Carr’s done a solid job of blending a variety of instruments, and panders to my shoegaze heart with that ambient guitar. However, there is a sort of disconnect for me between the vocal execution and overall sound. I feel like he is trying to be Kurt Vile just a little bit too too hard. It falls a little flat and I found myself wanting to hear a solely instrumental album. Regardless, the tracks are narrative and soothing, and fit the bill for the next time you want to curl up in a ball in bed.

4/7

This is not an album you can easily rush around to. It’s meant to slow you down. And for the most part, I didn’t mind that change of pace amongst the constant need to run from here to there and do this on a typical day in New York City. Some of the songs are perhaps toooo slow (I’m looking at you “Breathing In”), but the rest were quite groovy and Indie. It makes you think “wow so many great undiscovered Indie artists are really out there!”.

I was afraid I wouldn’t be digging the vocals from the looks of the first song, but it grew on me. It’s probably because I just really loved the lyrics haha. “I can’t shake the quiet side of me”, oh man what a relatable sentiment.

In terms of music...they somehow found that sweet spot between under and overuse of synth that makes the synth work just right in most of these songs (in my opinion). I particularly liked the sound of “Blood on My Hands” and “Sweet Heart”.

 Nice job, Alex Carr, I’m a fan.

5/7

Have to say this one is real middle of the road for me. On the one hand, I am never opposed to hearing some mellow indie pop jams. Then there's this other hand that keeps hitting me with a hammer in the temple saying, “I am really tired of Indie Pop albums”. You can start to see my problem with it, I guess. Hey now, let’s not get too negative about it. Honestly, it’s not a bad trip. Everything smoothly floats by your ear muscles. Nothing about this album doesn't go down easy. I think it only really bugs me after the repeat listens. A good amount of the extra instruments thrown in feel a bit haphazard. This isis actually a bit of a detriment. It makes it hard for my feeble mind to equate a sound to the album. A lot of the songs sounds like he is working with a very different palette from the previous song. There is a lot going right on this album though. In songs where there is less elements thrown in Alex Carr comes through as a great singer/guitar player. I would say the sound coming from the first half of the song “Cleopatra” felt real nice to me. Honestly, I could listen to a whole album of that. Eh, had hopes but maybe next time.

3/7

It’s a decent easy-listening album. It’s tame but still has a bit of a kick. I like when the repertoire is changed up a bit for this style, so the violin was a welcome addition. It worked well with the other instruments. There were some sparse quirky sound effects mixed in every so often with the synth and they seemed to work too. The guitar was pleasant, and when it got that beach reverb it’d remind me of The Morning Benders. Some tracks had a bit more zest and energy to them, but on the whole it’s a mellow listen. This kinda works against it though, after a bit I found myself getting bored. A lot of the songs just had me going “It’s okay, I guess.” The vocalist also sometimes doesn’t match up with the instruments. This is most noticeable halfway through Cleopatra, he kinda sounds like he’s singing to a different song.

Not calm enough to fall asleep to, but not energetic enough to really get you invested. They need to lean more to one or the other.

4/7

I could listen to the song “Dawn's Early Light” for a long long time and be fully content. The sweetness. Meditative

The second track changed it up, a different sound, not what I was expecting, but I still like it. Inclusion of more instruments, different feelings.

I was so happy with this album yet as it goes on he starts to lose me, it got a bit boring and strayed from that initial essence of that first track, I want more of that. Variety is good, necessary, I’m not against that, I just am against the direction he went off into.

This is a good one to lie on your back and stare up at the ceiling and just breathe to.

5/7

This was very mellow. Peaceful music. If I was in the right frame of mind I would really enjoy it; however, I am in finance and December is  year-end so things are pretty hectic this time of year, so I didn’t really give it the attention it deserved. Unfortunately most of the tracks sounded the same and I got bored. I am going to dust this one off in a week or two when I am sitting on an island in the tropics and give it another go.

3/7