Alex Pester - Yours

 

We are long time fans of Alex Pester, a young prodigy with a fantastic back catalogue and Boy remains one of the best albums you will ever hear. It is sad reading the album notes that he has been struggling recently. The decision to go back home appears to be a good one.

The result of this is this new album and what an incredible listen it is. It is very different to what has gone before, incredibly inventive and very hard to label, which makes the album so wonderful. It really is all over the place, a myriad of ideas, all self recorded.

I really don't want to go into individual songs, this is an album to discover yourself. I'll embed my three current favourites, note the word current as these will change and your choices may be very different. It is heartfelt and beguiling.

At times, it is incredibly gentle and fragile, yet it can be chaotic and noisy. You will hear Folk that can be straight ahead or something acoustic that is twisted. There are changes in direction that are completely unexpected next to straight ahead charming.

I like it most when it gets a little twisted and you will have already heard the Psych Pop joy that is Pearl And Dean on a Listening To This Week Playlist. But Yours is an absolutely intoxicating listen. This is an album that has the promise to be looked back on in the future as something to constantly to recommend. So damn inventive!

You can listen to and buy the album here.

....................

I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2024 : 31-40

 

For the last eight years We have compiled annual Best Of 's  because these posts seem so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists. A reminder that anything reviewed on I Don't Hear A Single is highly recommended. A reminder that only new albums are included among these 100.

Narrowing things down to this 100 has been really difficult. The 100 albums are posted in reverse batches of 10. For each album, A song is embedded from the album and a link is provided to the IDHAS Review where you can find further details and how to listen or buy the album.

31 Lunchbox - Pop And Circumstance     IDHAS Review

32 The Society Of Rockets - Tough Trip Through Paradise      IDHAS Review

33 The Smashing Times - Mrs Ladyships and the Cleanerhouse Boys     IDHAS Review

34 Sharp Class - Welcome To The Matinee Show (Of The End Of The World)     IDHAS Review

35 Alex Pester - Boy     IDHAS Review

36 Supermilk - High Precision Ghosts        IDHAS Review

37 Velvet Attack - Visions From Inner Space      IDHAS Review

38 Pulse Park - First Second      IDHAS Review

39 Rural France - Exactamondo!      IDHAS Review

  

40 The Special Pillow - Meets The Space Monster     IDHAS Review

...............................................

Alex Pester - Boy

 

Bath's Alex Pester will bring the average age down here considerably. In his early 20's, Boy is his sixth album, count 'em. He also inhabits a world that is ideally suited to what we do. Whilst most his age would be reaching for the beats and autotune, Pester is much more ambitious and far behind his years. 

Boy is a mix of McCartney Pop, 70s Pop Rock, Piano Pop and The Lilac Time. More importantly, there is some wonderful Psych Pop on display. Indeed, the opener, Spiteful Song, is a wonderful journey into the latter genre, approaching seven minutes and like a mellower Orgone Box.

That Psych Pop is what stands out most, very 60s, but it's not all backward Guitar and Eastern Riffs, enough to bring an old man like myself to tears, such is the gentle beauty. Indeed parts of Christmas venture well into Toytown.

Yet, How Could He Change Your Way approaches Folk Pop and Sad But True is very Indie Pop, almost C86. The Rain is very Stephen Duffy and Moon Song is real 70s Singer Songwriter Bedroom Pop, wonderfully so. A Tongue-Tied Tiger is Rick Corcoran to a tee.

Boy is slightly falsetto McCartney and Living In The World even rocks out a little. and is Pester's most modern venture. The whole album is like a soundscape, beautifully arranged and performed, clever to the extreme, but never losing sight of the melodic pop.

The album belies Pester's tender years, you would expect that is performed after years and years of perfecting his trade. It is also another example of how Listening To This Week continues to reveal the longer format, something that was always intended. Simply Magnificent!

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on CD and as a download.

...................