There is often a sense of trepidation that arises when first pressing play on an album that can be simply described as ‘rock’. Such a broad categorisation can be a sign of a lack of both identity and authenticity. Thankfully, as soon as the riff to opening track ‘Flawless’ kicks in, it’s clear that this is not the case with The Alchemy and their sophomore album Idle Ghosts.
This is a rock record that meets it’s mark in a refreshingly uncompromising fashion, refusing to sand down it’s edges by turning down the distortion and delighting in bouncing, fuzzed-up riffs. They’re certainly not the first band to combine fairly straightforward contemporary rock fundamentals with some great vocal melodies and catchy hooks, but it’s such a winning set of ingredients that it’s always a joy to hear it pulled off in style.
There’s no pretension here, Idle Ghosts is a collection of ten straight-ahead 3 to 4 minute long tracks, each one typically built around a big riff and a driving bass line, but not afraid to sprinkle in some feints and nuances. Electronic elements and slender arpeggios here and there give the repeat listener a little more to dig in to. There’s a welcome embrace of lead guitar melodies and solos in a lot of places too, notably in third track ‘Flux‘, where the earworm chorus alternates between melody and percussive stabs.
There is often a sense of trepidation that arises when first pressing play on an album that can be simply described as ‘rock’. Such a broad categorisation can be a sign of a lack of both identity and authenticity. Thankfully, as soon as the riff to opening track ‘Flawless’ kicks in, it’s clear that this is not the case with The Alchemy and their sophomore album Idle Ghosts.
This is a rock record that meets it’s mark in a refreshingly uncompromising fashion, refusing to sand down it’s edges by turning down the distortion and delighting in bouncing, fuzzed-up riffs. They’re certainly not the first band to combine fairly straightforward contemporary rock fundamentals with some great vocal melodies and catchy hooks, but it’s such a winning set of ingredients that it’s always a joy to hear it pulled off in style.