It’s beautifully conflicted and human, and does provide a unique and unforgettable experience that will continue to charm with its paradoxical qualities for years to come.
Rocket is a true tour de force that cements (Sandy) Alex G snugly in the company of indie rock's great auteurs.
The Philadelphia musician has made a meticulously filtered and distorted document of indie rock. Though it’s his most accessible, his best traits remain his obtuse storytelling and oddly-shaped songs.
Even though Rocket sometimes feels messy, only a songwriter as prolific and uninhibited as Giannascoli can make the chaos this thrilling and affecting.
As inscrutable as it can be at times, Giannascoli never betrays his purpose, making Rocket his most developed and accomplished album yet.
It is at times unpleasant, but Rocket has no ambitions to score a dinner party. The frantic interchanging of emotions – like the internal monologue of someone with a hellish hangover at ATP in 2009 – is a challenging, ambitious progression.
At first listen, Rocket maintains Giannascoli’s strong presence that we’ve seen on previous albums, however, the album deserves an astute ear in order to unearth the full complexity of emotions of all the collaborators involved.
Slowing down and refining his output has allowed Alex the time to make ‘Rocket’ a brilliantly considered next step. It’s also his catchiest record yet.
It all contributes to a recognizable sound that, despite having more players involved, sounds like (Sandy) Alex G in the way that one of his primary influences, Elliott Smith, always sounded like himself.
If DSU was the bedroom classic, then Rocket is the record for which Alex Giannascoli came outside to enjoy his time under the sun.
On Rocket, Alex G proves that he is a very talented artist whose strength lies in his understanding of character.
While virtually overloaded with talent and ideas, the major failing of Rocket is its lack of control or focused creativity. For every interesting moment there’s a derivative song structure and quirky progression with bland instrumentation.
(Sandy) Alex G still sounds like he’s refining a sound of his own on ‘Rocket’, but hearing him do it in real-time is still a thrill.
With Rocket, Philly singer-songwriter Alex G delivers an album that's a bit more adventurous than his previous effort, but also a lot more inconsistent.
Not even the scattershot approach to genre, wherein delicately plucked instrumental Rocket sits alongside the uncompromising hardcore punk stylings of Brick and the pitch-shifted soft-rock of Sportstar, can rescue an album that ultimately sounds curiously disengaged.
Alex Goat
Alright this one is kinda just decent to me. Still overall good, but it definitely feels like the weakest of the chain. With this record, he goes in a more folk centric sort of direction. While I really like folk as a genre, I don’t think it shines all too much here. A lot of the songs just kinda feel lackluster or a bit boring. Again nothing is terrible, but there are some songs that stick out as mid compared to the rest of his catalog. Songs like Sportstar, Rocket, and Judge ... read more
In 2015, Alex G created the buzz with his album "Beach Music". The young musician from Philadelphia who was raised on Pavement, Elliott Smith and Dinosaur Jr.'s records, see his reputation exceeded Bandcamp's limits, and, in 2016, Frank Ocean asked him to play guitar on his albums "Endless" and "Blond(e)". Now, the young man we name (Sandy) Alex G has gone from unknown songwriter of the Internet to the new savior of American indie rock (sorry Will Toledo ...) and ... read more
[July Challenge] July 7
A while ago, I sojourned far enough from the city where I could see it from miles away as if they were part of the horizon. I thought that feelings could change when I left home, but everything was at a standstill. The location didn't matter because I would carry these feelings wherever I went but at least I could have a distraction from the oppressive walls that I have built around my head. I had a thought that maybe a slight change in my life could fix my ... read more
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#5 | / | Time Out New York |
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#7 | / | The Key |
#8 | / | Treble |
#14 | / | Earbuddy |
#16 | / | The Alternative |
#20 | / | Noisey |
#21 | / | Stereogum |
#25 | / | Digital Trends |