Alpha
The Impossible Thrill
Astralwerks
The inner sleeve art for this release is a perfect reflection of the music contained on this disc. These songs capture the still, frozen moment at dusk or dawn when you realize that you are completely and uncomfortably alone. The last vestiges of loss and regret hang like frost on the windowpane. Alpha’s second release, The Impossible Thrill is an amazing collection of songs written and performed primarily by the duo of Corin Dingley and Andy Jenks, but which features a trio of guest vocalists who alternate the singing on the 11 tracks. Most of the songs are slow and somber. Without eschewing the samples and electronics that the duo utilized on their previous release, this album finds them incorporating instruments and playing them, which provide these downbeat songs with an organic feel. Imagine a less vindictive Portishead or Everything But the Girl with less dance beats and you start to get an idea of what Alpha sounds like.
Astralwerks, 104 West 29th St., New York, NY 10001; http://www.astralwerks.com
