Alien Alright takes on record stores with new effort

www.alienalright.com

Internet Killed The Record Shop Star?

According to recent statistics*, more than 500 record shops have closed down in the UK in the last two years (this includes nearly 50% of all independent ones). As an independent artist who uses the internet to mask his real identity, Alien Alright might not have been able to do so before the world-wide-web, but his new album, The Exodus Is Here, is full of references to the more glorious days of record stores.

Musically inspired by the late 60’s-early 70’s, the album adopts the 7-song format and approach of classics like The Stooges’ Fun House, Neil Young’s Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain, and Deep Purple’s Machine Head.

In line with that, it allows room for some instrumental exploration and long guitar solos, notably on the 9-minute closer, Record Store Blues. Similarly, there are some shorter songs, with perhaps more of a mainstream appeal, as in the two intended singles, Unsigned and Proud, and Make Some Noise.

The title too, is taken from that era. The Exodus Is Here is a line from Baba O’Reily by The Who, the opening track of their 1971 album, Who’s Next. Nonetheless, these links to older times are done in the wider context of the album, which largely deals with the changes in the way music is now being created, promoted and consumed.

One other dominant aspect in the album is the use of secondary vocal parts as a major element in all the songs. Widening the musical scope by bringing in influences not necessarily associated with rock music, they draw inspiration from a variety of sources: film composer Ennio Morricone, funk outfits as Sly & The Family Stone, recent Dance acts like Faithless or Royksopp, and even World Music (see the experimental prayer structured, Good For The Soul).

The Exodus Is Here is Alien Alright’s third release so far, with each release being stylistically different from the next. His debut, Howard Good’s Radio Sessions (2004), was largely acoustic, whereas its follow-up, The First Impression EP (2005), used looped beats to combine straight forward Rock with Hip-Hop and Funk.

“I can remember the feeling of going to the record store”, sings Alien Alright in one of the concluding lines on the album. The future of record shops might be in doubt, but there can be some consolation, if thanks to the independence that the internet gives, more musicians make albums which are adventurous as well as accessible, and with something to say.

The Exodus Is Here is available only on-line, and on most major stores, including iTunes, Amazon and CD-Baby.
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* This is according to recent statistics from the Entertainment Retailers Association in Britain.