My Top 5 (Alex G)

I recently saw Alex G live at Thalia Hall and it inspired me to go back through all of his albums and hand pick 5 of my favorites by him. I tried to spread things out by limiting myself to one song per album. Also none of these are in order because that would be too hard.

“Crab”

Actually one of the more recent songs that really stuck with me. Race wasn’t on streaming until 2021 so I never really listened to it. I think it was interesting to hear everything that came out after this first and then going back and listening to this album. This song specifically helped me appreciate the simplicity of his song writing.

“Clouds”

There’s something so nostalgic about this song. It reminds me of when I was a kid and my sister would be playing the piano downstairs. I would lay with my ear to the floor and listen through the floorboards. It’s got the main piano but what really makes this song for me are the subtle panned takes that make the song sound glittery. It gives it that Alex G fairy sound.

“Mis”

This is the first song I heard by him. It was my freshman year of high school, I had just gotten my first phone and I was starting to branch out and discover new music. Something about this song is so intimate, like it’s a confession. I know I said I wouldn’t rank these but this is probably my favorite song by him.

“Brite Boy”

This is one that really had to grow on me. Admittedly, Beach Music is my least favorite album of his and so I kind of wrote it off. However, when I later got really into Clairo, I got a YouTube recommendation of her cover of this. I think hearing the song out of the context of the album made me appreciate it more. The pitched up vocals really compliment the innocence of the lyrics.

“Gretel”

House of Sugar made me appreciate his production a lot more. Prior to this album I mostly gravitated towards his lyrics because of how minimal a lot of his earlier music was production wise. However, on House of Sugar he puts together a lot of interesting layers and textures. I think “Gretel” is a great example of this. The back half of this song makes me feel like I’m melting (in the best way possible).