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Notes on my favorite songs from the 2012 Alex G album Trick.
Forever:
Has elements of folk and bluegrass, sort of reminds me of Big Thief. But in reality itās hard to classify. There's a push and pull to the lyricism and instrumentals that paint a picture of someone struggling with addiction.
Advice:
Here youāre really introduced to his signature vocal layering and guitar droning. The lyrics fade into the background, and the noise takes over like a wave of distortion.Ā
Mary:
The first of three character studies (and infatuations) on the album. Mary is a total fantasy, but not necessarily a happy one. She is both monstrous and seductive. She leaves you to rot.
Change:
This one feels like a memory youāre desperately trying to hold on to. Its calm on the surface, but tinged with melancholy. The ending repetition is like a quiet resignation to the fact that things can never stay the same.
Ā Ā
Clouds:
Trick has a few instrumentals, but Clouds is one of the most enthralling. It really showcases his talent for creating atmosphere, and foreshadows his work on later scores for I Saw the TV Glow and Weāre All Going to the Worldās Fair.
Adam:
Second character study. Tells the story of a childhood crush he had which manifested in him bullying the kid.Ā
Sarah:
Third character study. To me, this is the most nostalgic sounding song on the album. The lofi melody paired with the chugging drums and rhythm guitar create a pace that matches Sarahās running. There's definitely a lot here, including him admitting to breaking her down for his own gain. But the ending āDid I make a mistake?ā provides some self reflection. He says he can't give her what she needs because heās stuck in a dream, which tracks with the sound of the album. Perhaps heās realized his apathy and destructive tendencies hurt more than just him.
Overall, Trick is atmospheric, textured, beautifully messy, and sometimes hard to listen to. The vocal and instrumental layering contribute to the storytelling, and there's lots of ways to interpret the meanings here. Iāve always found Alex Gās work enigmatic and kind of mysterious, but I think I'm most drawn to the ideas beneath the surface.Ā
@PERFECTLYIMPERFECT
2d ago
Related Recs
craaaaaazy question to ask me specifically because now I will never shut the fuck up
I first came into contact with this album in 2022 or 2023 because its final and titular track was featured in the end credits of an episode of Girls. It immediately became one of my all-time favorites. Both gut-wrenching and hopeful, the song's narrator reminisces on a previous emotionally dark time for them, a time when they were grieving and trying to hold onto things they couldn't keep (underweight, in the street, hot with grief). The hope in this song, which takes the breath out of my lungs, lies in both the crucial past tense of these feelings and in the final lines, 'get well soon, get well soon / I was once just like you.' This has become a sort of mantra for me. Tucek takes something you would see on a kitschy greeting card and turns it into a plea for recovery.
Unfortunately, it took me months to sit down and actually listen to the full album in late winter 2024. It happened very much by accident. I was itching to hear something new and thought, well, at some point I should check out the rest of this artist's work, considering this is one of my top 5 favorite songs of all time. I never expected it to be such a work. I figured someone else would've sang its praises by now if it was going to change my life (which is why I adore this ask, because I think we all have an album like this, or at least we all should). The albums contains stories of grief, regret, dissatisfaction, bad fathers, and ultimately Moving On with a capital M. The track order is perfection. My other favorite song from this album is The Fireman. Somehow it is able to invoke in me feelings I've never experienced as someone whose father was not an absent asshole. The Doctor is a beautiful song about wanting to surgically excise the negative aspects of us that we get from our parents. Things Left Behind is great for thinking about death. Wooden has a perfect guitar solo.
This album is unique, fleshed-out metaphors with mostly a handful of acoustic instruments and an excellent voice. I would change nothing about it. I plan on tattooing the cover on my body because I want it to be a permanent part of my skin.
I might have to write more on this. Transcendent album. if you like Weyes Blood, Angel Olson, Aimee Mann, you will enjoy this. If grief is as constant to you as breathing you will enjoy this. If you're mad at your dad you will enjoy this.
Get well soon (and I mean it)! xoxo
Oct 22, 2024
I was initially drawn to Threshold after seeing a few friends post the single cover for this song. At the time I had no idea that it was my own friend Isaac (of Strange Ranger) behindĀ it, and he seemed happy that his mysterious new project fooled me.
Context aside thoughā this is one of the best songs I heard all year, and I guarantee that its minimal arrangement + hypnotizing chorus will pull you right in to its strange little world. And it doesn't stop there, this entrancing dream-like atmosphere extends to the rest of the album that arrived shortly after,Ā Thief. I feel like he's on to something truly new with this sound.
Dec 30, 2024
recommended by mossyelfie
it is generally not the usual genre i listen to and im not been a fan of this kind of vocal style, however the more i listened to it the more it grew on me. it reminded me of Someday We Will Foresee Obstacles by Syd Matters. maybe mossyelfie will like it!
this album has really sad feel to it that is contrasted so well with simple and lovely guitar arps. and the production is so clean! I will definitely be using this album as reference when mixing some of my own songs haha
my fav tune is 'the sound of settling.' love how minimal the lyrics are and how fun it is to sing along to
death of an interior decorator is a close second. love the progression and the lyrics there. again so fun to sing along to!
we looked for giants is also an honourable mention. very crunchy
also transatlanticism would fit so well in the video game 'life is strange', i could just imagine it playing in the background it and would have def made me cry when paired up with that storyline.
did i mention how smooth the transitions are?? definitely the smoothest transitions between songs from any album ive listened to so far. so tastefully done!
it was very fun to try something new. like i said this is not a genre i usually listen to, but transatlanticism really caught me by surprise and i think if i listen to it a few more times it'll definitely grow on me much much more. also, what an outro! such nice vibes. thank you for the recommendation!
Sep 17, 2024
Top Recs from @hannahgechter
Love the vibes of this channel. My favorite series of his is the āUnremarkable and Odd Places in ___ā. He basically finds liminal space type places in popular video games and shows them off, and then muses about life for a while. As someone who barely plays video games, I still find the videos entertaining and oddly comforting. Overall itās a very chill time.
Jan 21, 2025
Jan 10, 2025
Favorite tracks:
Waltz #2
Pitseleh
Bled White
Waltz #1
Baby Britain
Miss Misery
Mar 15, 2025