The cover of the Rex Orange County project, ‘The Alexander Technique.’
Long a staple of the indie genre, Rex Orange County has steadily been pushing the envelope of that genre, and threatening to escape it entirely. With his latest album the singer finally breaks free, pushing towards folk & jazz. Here’s everything you need to know about what Rex Orange County accomplished with The Alexander Technique.
Weighty Subject Matter Paces Through Rex Orange County’s Pivot
“Alexander,” the opening track, is some of the best storytelling in the Rex Orange County catalog. Retelling a trip to the doctor’s office for back pain, Rex recounts how his straightforward description of his symptoms instead resulted in some unprompted advice thrown his way, resolving by the end, “But you know, in a weird way, I feel like maybe he was right. / I may be using my back pain to distract from the pain of life.”
The second track, “Guitar,” carries one of the more affecting verse sections on the whole project. “I remember being sixteen, didn’t know a thing open eyes / I couldn’t take the pain, but I was old enough to try / Looking at my reflection and wanting to die.” Outside of the philosophy of the song, it musically finishes with a jazz horn flourish that’s up there for best moments on the project. At least in this writer’s hopes, the brief out-of-genre interstitial portends further exploration down the line, but it sadly doesn’t come on this tracklist.
Indeed, the shift from indie music to folk accompanies a conceptual shift in Rex’s songwriting. Much of The Alexander Technique dispenses the same sort of life-affirming wisdom, backed up by weighty anecdotes from the singer’s own life.
A Few Early Highlights Showcase The Alexander Technique & Rex Orange County’s Purpose
“Therapy” condenses The Alexander Technique‘s thesis best, an organ-backed tell-all about Rex Orange County’s recent trials and tribulations. Long-time fans can glean a ton about the singer’s personal life and perspective from the stream-of-consciousness cut, revealing how he feels he “grew up in the spotlight” and his struggles with mental health challenges.
Tracks like “Table” and “Sliding Doors” prove highlights and each takes a more ground-level approach to the overriding meaning of the project. The former is entirely stream-of-consciousness, heavily exploring the concept of sonder and getting lost in the day-to-day. “Sliding Doors” spends some moments on addiction, a thorny nest to unfurl but one delivered without judgment in this context.
A Surprise Guest Appearance And Final Thoughts
James Blake crashes in towards the end of the project with an interlude that he dominates more than Rex himself. It’s an interesting give and take; though the R&B crooner is always a welcome sight (and sound), he spins a typically esoteric, longing tale of romance. Though mentioned plenty in The Alexander Technique, it’s certainly not the sole focus in the way it is on this track, so Rex trades a bit of cohesiveness on the overall body of work for a brief respite and the talents of the always-stellar Blake.
All told, The Alexander Technique showcases a ton of growth almost by rule, built around the ways the singer-songwriter has evolved in his own personal life, the lessons he’s learned through that process, and how listeners might be able to adapt them.
It stops short of being true self-help, and you truly can make what you want of Rex’s ruminations and discoveries, but the sheer cohesiveness of the LP and commitment to its project makes it worth a listen. Check out The Alexander Technique and the full Rex Orange County backlog wherever you stream your music.
Elsewhere in our coverage, Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk is an improvement on all fronts for the pop duo.
