Alex Izenberg has really come into his own with this new record. Alex Izenberg and the Exiles, the latest release from the singer on Domino, is full of lush, throwback gems that suggest debts owed to the singer-songwriters from the Seventies. There's also a robust momentum here that places this record next to recent ones from Weyes Blood, for example, in terms of approach and intent.
Tunes such as "An Obscured Odyssey" and "Drinking the Dusk Away" reveals the influence of artists as disparate as Gerry Rafferty, Van Dyke Parks, and solo George Harrison. The use of pedal steel guitar -- Connor Gallaher from Lana Del Rey's band -- gives this all a laconic twang, while selections like "United States (of Mind)" nod in the direction of the world-weary best from Randy Newman in the Ford and Carter eras. Alex manages to make this whole record maintain a vibe that's impressively realized, though a listener may want a bit more variety. The closer, "As the Dawn Serenades the Dark" should draw favorable comparison to the best work of Mercury Rev, or, going further back, those great Floyd records inbetween the Syd years and Dark Side of the Moon.
Alex Izenberg does this so well that it's almost too harsh to criticize him for not varying the vibe on this record. Alex Izenberg and the Exiles is deftly lush and compelling, and a whole raft of players -- like drummer Jay Rudolph from Weyes Blood -- give this one a currency which prior Alex albums didn't have. It is Izenberg's best release to date for that reason.
Alex Izenberg and the Exiles by Alex Izenberg is out now via Domino.
[Photo: Giraffe Studios]