Alex G - House Of Sugar (Album Review)

 

Alex G - House Of Sugar

(2019)

My copy: 2019 press on purple vinyl with additional 7” by Domino.

While 2017’s Rocket proved to be a controversial shift for Alex Giannascoli, 2019’s House Of Sugar came as a half-hearted attempt to bridge the gap between old and new. House Of Sugar does contain a few great tracks, but its second half feels like a bloated and desperate attempt to reconnect with his singer/songwriter roots. 

Digitally stretched vocal moans open the album on “Walk Away” which makes impressive use of layering to build walls of reversed instrumentals, piano melodies and repetitive vocals; the only issue being that nothing interesting happens with the structure of the song. “Hope” is probably the best of the singer/songwriter tracks with heightened emotion being that it was written about the passing of a close friend. “Southern Sky” introduces a fun piano rhythm that promptly fades away and is never heard again, instead replaced for more Rocket era alt-country with female vocals, violin and a cheerful childlike piano melody. 

“Gretel” was the big single of the album, and does indeed boast a solid hook and chorus; it is more dissonant and distorted than the other tracks, and the bit-crushed vocals are a fun touch. “Taking” feels like a bonus track from Beach Music with bright, sparkling synth melodies. “Near” infuses indie-rock with annoying glitched vocals that seem to be dubiously influenced by hip-hop while “Project 2” is a brief ambient interlude with drums, like a poor man’s Oneohtrix Point Never. 

The most interesting track comes in the form of the playful yet charming “Bad Man” that goofs on pop-country with added electronic beats and synths. “Sugar” begins to paint a surreal and visceral portrait of dissonance, but is ruined by obnoxious vocal effects and generic horror strings. “In My Arms,” “Cow” and “Crime” are all boring attempts to rekindle the success of Giannascoli’s early acoustic stylings; they at least come equipped with somewhat catchy vocal hooks. The album opts to include a live rendition of its title track with soaring saxophone and falsetto that almost help the song stick. 

This version of the album also includes a 7” of bonus material: the A-side features versions of “Gretel” and “Sugar House” with just guitar and voice; they are mostly forgettable. The B-side of the 7” includes a live rendition of the track “Fell,” with instrumentals that sit somewhere between amateur hour at the jazz lounge and over-indulgent indie. The strained, emotional vocals on “Fell” help to give it an edge, but it’s not enough. Giannascoli’s voice is forever the saving grace of his own music, and his knack for vocal melodies seems to be what carries him. House Of Sugar is unfortunately a tangle of short ideas that mostly miss the mark: the high points make it at least worth a try for steady fans.