Alexander and the Grapes have grown and matured a great deal in the three years since I first saw them play, both in age (drummer Philip Charos was a chipper 16 at the time to older brother Alexander’s 21) and in musical style, evolving from their alt-country rock to more lushly arranged roots rock that’s heavily imbued with elements of early ’90s alt-rock, sun-kissed psych folk, and introspective indie pop as revealed on debut full-length, Hemispheres.
Frontman Alexander Charos has a golden warm quality to his vocals, a gently subdued yet compelling delivery, and an elegant and straightforward way with words that can only improve with experience. He reflects on his insecurities as a musician in “East Coast,” and the idea of soldiering on despite feeling unsure of yourself and your ultimate goal. “I don’t know where any of this is going, see where any of this is going, where any of this is going,” Charos repeats in the dark and loud breakdown that segues into a more hopeful-sounding version of the refrain. Philip’s sturdy rhythms and percussive thrust pair well with the heavy bass fuzz and easier elastic grooves of bassist Tom Dicks, and guitarist Chase Swan is a fine electric axeman who doles out low-key solos, distortion and reverb, but also draws out lazy sliding notes on lap steel, adding a forlorn feel to songs like “Conversation” and its issues of mortality (“Twenty-something trying to avoid disaster, life is fast but death is faster”), or drawn-out longing and a sense of exotic urgency as in the dramatic ascending balladry of “Ocean.”
Though at times it’s uneven and tends to drag a bit in the middle, Hemispheres still manages to hit on all the right levels and stands as a strong debut from a bright young local group. (Critics’ rating: 3/5 Stars)
Hemispheres has its national street date on Tues., June 26, via New Granada Records.
This article appears in Jun 21-27, 2012.
