Live Review: REVIEW: Alex Lashlie 'Fountains of Wine'

ALEX LASHLIE, besides having a pretty wicked last name, is a pretty rad dude on account of his musical adventures. The man's played in a fair few bands, including DREAMTWINS, THE MOTHERTONES and BIG BEAT, at the same time as he was working on solo material. Seriously, how many people can juggle all of that at once?

His album Fountains of Wine was composed while LASHLIE travelled around, getting on random adventures and expanding his musical influences. The first track, 'Under NYC' begins with an extended intro and features some jazzy guitar overlayed with melancholic drum beats, but the next track, 'Fountains of Wine' is completely different, purely instrumental with the haunting sounds of most likely synthetic organs, a little reminiscent of the cult film Bladerunner. Notable tracks include 'Come Here To Talk', a harmonic piece that showcases LASHLIE's voice (which is far nicer than the opening track would have led you to believe) in a slightly folksy, almost Bon Iver style manner. The last song, 'I Met You In A Dream & You Led Me Past The Gate' is also lovely, lyrically poetic, with strains of what seem like flamenco music threading subtly through the dreamy, swaying guitar chords.

LASHLIE is definitely talented, and this album features a range of songs that highlight his many talents. Don't judge his vocals by the first track, they're actually amazing in every other song and I can only assume that they are intentionally rougher in 'Under NYC' so as to capture the sense of being a person being overwhelmed by something bigger than them. This is the kind of album where the more you listen, the more you'll like it, and if you're into moving, harmonic vocals and fantastic guitar playing, this should be something you listen to.

Words by Desiree Conceicao.

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