(2021) Alex Bleeker - Heaven On the Faultline


Review:
Alex Bleeker quietly, steadily worked on solo music of his own in tandem with the earliest days of his acclaimed indie band Real Estate, trickling out albums and EPs that bent a little more toward the stoney, country-fried side of things than the reliably poppy material Real Estate was known for. After releasing several strong albums with a rotating cast of characters under the banner Alex Bleeker and the Freaks, Heaven on the Faultline is Bleeker’s first solo outing under his own name, and its 13 songs represent the different avenues of his specific musical identity. Tracks like the straightforwardly hooky “La La La” and several wistful instrumentals (“A/B Ripoff,” “Swang”) tap into the jangly guitar-based indie rock that’s central to Bleeker’s DNA, evoking at turns both the solitude of Felt and the summery warmth of Yo La Tengo. These moments pivot quickly to tunes that showcase Bleeker’s affinity for jam bands, in particular the spindly guitar work of the Grateful Dead’s early studio output. Patient and even-keeled songs like “D Plus” and “Reach for My Brain” find a nexus point between indie rock songwriting and the psychedelic influence of the Dead, where “Mashed Potatoes” takes a far more direct roots rock approach, with a shuffling country blues structure and dusty production in line with the subdued character of American Beauty. Bleeker’s well-established modes of jangly pop and rustic, psychedelic Americana are joined by experiments with less familiar styles. Album closer “Lonesome Call” finds Bleeker alone with the guitar delivering a traditional high-plains cowboy tune, while the harsh and dubby “Heavy Tupper” is the polar opposite, with distorted guitars and delay-swaddled vocals that nod to Suicide. The beautiful “Parking Lot” is another step slightly outside of the usual for Bleeker. With choruses lifted by the harmonies of vocalist Kacey Johansing, the song has a melancholic, gliding melody and a reflective tone that make for one of the album’s most mature and emotionally resonant pieces. Even when the songs wander stylistically, Bleeker’s friendly and thoughtful songwriting personality ties Heaven on the Faultline together. The album elevates an already solid solo catalog with some of Bleeker’s most varied and memorable songs to date, bringing out more of the disarming sweetness and hazy beauty that’s been the core of his music since the start.





Tracklist:
01 - AB Ripoff
02 - D Plus
03 - Felty Feel
04 - Heaven On the Faultline
05 - Heavy Tupper
06 - La La La
07 - Mashed Potatoes
08 - Swang
09 - Parking Lot
10 - Reach for My Brain
11 - Tamalpais
12 - Twang
13 - Lonesome Call


Media Report:
Genre: indie-folk, indie-rock
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits