(Sandy) Alex G: The Cure for Bezos’s Balls?
Preview: (Sandy) Alex G Live @ Neumos
Sunday, Nov. 3 in Seattle
By Julia Olson
This summer I started my first post-grad, good ol’ 9-5 office job. It’s been really good, but I work in South Lake Union instead of on Capitol Hill. Every now and then I get an SLU panic moment; when suddenly I realize that I spend 40 hours a week typing in the shadow of Bezos’s balls. The only consistent cure for the artless panic seems to be (Sandy) Alex G.
There’s something in the intimacy of Alex Giannascoli’s music that forces me to take a breath and appreciate the subtle beauty of even the monowheels. As melodramatic as this sounds, (Sandy) Alex G albums have consistently been an emotional and musical grounding for me. Listening to Rocket feels like watching a favorite TV show you’ve seen a million times. Giannascoli’s music is comforting in a way that’s good to throw on for easy listening, but also lyrically and musically complex to feel new each time.
Alex Giannascoli’s latest release House of Sugar is the perfect balance between unique instrumentals and memorable lines that store in the back of your brain. House of Sugar evolves from Giannascoli’s earlier work to interweave classic Alex G off-kilter guitar with new sounds for the album. Recorded on GarageBand just like the other albums in the (Sandy) Alex G discography, this latest release holds onto Giannascoli’s characteristic down-home authenticity while also continuing his trend of musically progressing with each release. Song “Bad Man” is perhaps my favorite on the new album, as it really exemplifies Giannascoli’s self-indulgent and almost sarcastic writing and sound-tinkering.
I also love supporting an artist who feels like a real person with a real personality. Mr. G made headlines earlier this year when a photo featuring him drunk in wet pants went viral with the caption “I’M BETO ROBERT FRANCIS O’ROURKE I’M HERE FOR YOUR GUNS.” Clearly meant as a hilarious gag for his listeners, boomers seemed to pick up the photo and share it with the belief that it was in fact a younger photo of Beto drunk at a party after he pissed his pants. It’s his chiller vibe interweaved with his off the dome songwriting makes (Sandy) Alex G seem friendly; like a project one of my dumb friends would make…but better, much better.
I saw (Sandy) Alex G at Sasquatch (pour one out) and live he’s just as good of a hang as you might expect. Although his show lacked frills or props etc, Giannascoli played his songs with heart and made the whole set feel like a big living room stew. He’s been known to ask for song requests at the end of his sets, so have “Brick” loaded up to shout.
Tickets: https://www.ticketfly.com/event/1874287-sandy-alex-g-seattle/