ASHLEY HALM
Special to The Leader
With song titles like “Satan’s Fried Scapegoat Breakfast” and “Now Boarding: Flight EA918,” it’s clear that Eric Alexandrakis isn’t your typical singer-songwriter.
Indeed, a first encounter with Alexandrakis’s particular brand of ‘60s-inspired psychedelic rock might evoke a feeling similar to getting hit in the side of the head with a red-hot, tie-dye-painted frying pan full of rusty nails and glitter. It’s a pretty intense experience.
However, if you take the time to really listen to his lyrics, you’ll find a truly unique and unexpectedly honest musical voice that has a lot to say about life, love and the human experience.
Born and raised in Florida, Alexandrakis was classically trained in piano from the age of six.
Besides piano, he is a master of a number of other musical instruments and styles, and he grew up listening to ‘80s British punk artists such as Duran Duran. All of these influences are noticeably present in his music’s eclectic, multi-layered sound.
Nearly all of Alexandrakis’s songs are recorded and mixed on a 16-track analog recording machine, a recording method which was widely used for music production in the ‘70s.
On his YouTube channel, each of his lyric videos for his original songs tout the description, “No autotune, no time stretching, no track comping and no instrument loops. All played or programmed in analogue we trust.”
Alexandrakis’ previous projects include “Like a Puppet Show,” an audiovisual collaboration with Academy Award-nominated actor John Malkovich, award-winning photographer Sandro Miller and various other artists, in which Malkovich recites Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” over original music composed and produced by Alexandrakis.
The project is described in reviews as “intensely compelling and mind-bendingly great.”
Alexandrakis was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for his album “I.V. Catatonia: 20 Years as a Two-Time Cancer Survivor,” which was recorded using instruments and household objects while he was undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
His most recent release, “Terra,” was also nominated for a Grammy in the 2020 award season.
Like his other travel concept album, “Tra -> Tra,” “Terra” blends Alexandrakis’s powerfully raw vocals and melodies with atmospheric synth sounds and sound samples from his travels, including everything from in-flight intercom announcements to rainfall and geese calls.
All these colliding sonic elements result in a listening experience that is simultaneously otherworldly and grounded, as if you’re traveling the world right alongside Alexandrakis, or rather, as if you’re watching him take these journeys while living inside the bright and beautiful chaos of his mind. Hint: the experience is even cooler if you listen to the album with high-quality headphones.
It’s not always sunny in “Terra,” though.
Tracks like “Pain” and “The Mighty Terran Empire” harness raw, intense guitar hooks and drums to convey Alexandrakis’ emotions surrounding his struggles with chronic illness and the dangers of wealth and greed.
In spite of its chaotic and eclectic sound, or perhaps because of it, “Terra” works as a cohesive concept album in that it attempts to capture the essence of Alexandrakis’s journey to explore the inner workings of the world and himself: the joy, the heartbreak, the anger, all of it.
Albeit in a sort of roundabout, acid-trip sort of way, I think it’s definitely succeeded.
Some personal favorites from the album are “Mediterranean Sun,” which has a sunny, Beach Boys-esque feel, and “I Love Me,” an energetic, Technicolor self-love anthem, which was recently featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto 5.
Maybe Alexandrakis’ music isn’t exactly your cup of tea, but it’s definitely worth a try.“Terra” is available now on all streaming platforms, and you can visit EricAlexandrakis.com/ to view his biography and previous projects.