Wrapped in nostalgia but not fully taken with its allure, possessing the kind of impassioned yet fatalistic charm of Water Liars’s Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster. Alberta and the Dead Eyes are just as interested in the past as the future, and all too aware of how both have their own false bottoms and trap doors.
JOHN DOYLE
The new album You Said Something features the band in fully-realized form and Boone supplies them with his best songwriting yet. It’s a winner from the first. There’s many shades and nuances detectable in the album’s production.Covering ample stylistic ground while never taking too many left turns that leave listeners behind. It’s a worthwhile listening experience for serious music fans and rewarding long after your first encounter. Alberta & the Dead Eyes are far from a cookie cutter act.
KIM MUNCIE
Alberta & the Dead Eyes initially kick listeners’ heads in…invoking traditional music while creating something with a thoroughly special sound. You definitely get the feeling from Alberta & the Dead Eyes’ You Said Something that these four talented musicians have found their artistic place and they’ve only started exploring its possibilities. It’s a stunning release.
Anne Holister
Topless is syncopated and very sure of its execution, achieving a sound that you can cling to with the perfect wish of a day that will never disappear before your eyes. The calm and light wave of Alberta and the Dead Eyes is very active, achieving a sound from which you can feel free with the perfect cunning of pleasure and without fear of anything. What is here is a perfect opportunity to calm down to the ideal enclosure of your body and not return again being the same.
We end with See Saw , from Alberta and the Dead Eyes, who give us a song that has the perfect temper so that we will never despair before the shadows and the mystery they contain. The power of this song makes us shine with the perfect attitude that we look for inside ourselves, making nothing stop us from enjoying every second of our life. If you want an elegant song full of sensuality in its guts, this song is your new hymn. Enjoy it.
Alberta & the Dead Eyes’ You Said Something is far from your typical fare. Music like this should be heard and, more importantly, celebrated.
SCOTT CARLITO
The album’s A-side starts with a scattershot mix of vibes on “Whistle Me This,” before settling into the album’s best work. “See Saw” and “Belly” kick off a string of sultry, bluesy songs cresting with lap steel swells and a soft clattering of percussion. The highlight is the melodic “Lil’ Bird.” The rest of the album includes some slower tempo, more stripped-down tracks. “Blush” is quieter and built around its bassline, and Boone plays harmonica at the end. The album closes with a return to more contemporary sounds on “Nice.”
WILL COVIELLO
Vaguely reminiscent of Bob Dylan, The Band, and Leon Russell, Alberta & The Dead Eyes’ sound is unique and charming – an inimitable sound akin to countrified blues.
This track has a refreshing and slightly mysterious vibe to it like old school Prince songs used to. That liveliness and flair for the creative is there and something about it all that feels like you're a part of something really cool. The single has a great pop sensibility and shows a colorful style of performance and songwriting that comes through with a gusto…it's a damn good time and danceable as well with that bassline really driving this track to another place, it just makes you need to get up and start moving to it…you haven't heard anything like it in quite some time.
Check out the swingin’ new roots-rock gem, “Lil’ Bird” from Alberta & The Dead Eyes. With a classic and cutting melody, David Boone draws us in with his soothing yet gruff vibrato that rambles with the timeless twang ethos of Shakey Graves and Nick Waterhouse.
With a somewhat sinister sound and video to match, entirely appropriate for spooky season, ‘See Saw’ from Alberta & The Dead Eyes is both catchy and quirky, and at the same time – will pull you in and leave you wanting for more.
LISA HAFEY
alberta and the dead eyes sound like a band that has weathered most storms. See Saw finds creating a precise sound, over intentionally imprecise lyrics. It’s garage rock dadaism and more people should pick it up.
It’s a comfort that instantaneous doesn’t get you fat, drunk, or spending your last paycheck. Alberta and the Dead eyes’ Lil Bird might get you a bit high though, but it’s only the colors shining inside your mind.
The recording feels made back at the bar, with smoke blocking the view, and drink being spilled on the floor. Not a lick that’s played or sung here feels unnatural. alberta and the dead eyes wrote the script for the movie that best suits them.
EDUARD
The old-school grittiness of “Lil Bird” hooks you right away. There’s a wistful confidence throughout, from the shuffling drums to the whistle flourishes to the playful lyrics of…”Who’s to blame? Not me, not you, who cares? What’s new?”
ADDISON HERRON-WHEELER
Albert & the Dead Eyes hit us right in the gut with “Mhm,” (below) a soulful and edgy rocker that Glide is thrilled to share. Boasting a sound that seeps swagger with a soulful and unique gravelly vocal styling that recall both Spoon and Wolf Parade, there is plenty of dark and jazzy overtones to hold onto here. Its the sudden burst of electric vocals and rolling rhythms that make this Detroit band a unique voice of elation.
‘mhm’ is a languid, sort of spacey sounding piece, with drawn out vocals and smokey instrumentals. There’s a clear 60s/70s influence to the sound, with maybe a hint of Aerosmith (think ‘Janey’s Got A Gun’). It’s a great introduction to alberta & The Dead Eyes’
LISA HAFEY
With a dark, bluesy feel, David Boone’s vocals distort and rasp over the spacious instrumental. While the instrumental feels sparse, the traditional rock trio create plenty of pathos and little synth pad fade ins aid with that. As usual though, Boone’s lyrics are the star of the show with a swaggering sexiness about them. It makes “mhm” feels like the perfect track for a smokey, late night in a dive bar of your choice.
ADAM MORGAN
As raw and coolly inviting as his soul and sandpaper vocals are – and as loud and crisp as his electric guitar gets in just the right emotional spots – the focus is all on the hypnotic and methodical yet intensely booming rhythm section driven by Michael Snyder’s standup bass line and Erik “nuntheless” Washington’s drums. Like the music underlying it, it’s angular poetry that’s rough, full of sighs and pain. No matter how emotional, most song lyrics are usually neatly polished, so it’s refreshing – if a bit unsettling – to experience the way Boone aka Alberta gets everything off his chest.
JONATHAN WIDREN
Honestly this song is so gosh darn fonkay. It’s folksy, bluesy, and energetic. It’s amazing how a slow, deliberate style could be so enrapturing…Remarkable standout track.
GREG JONES
“mhm” opens on soulful bluesy guitars riding a muscular rhythm made up of a cavernously vibrating bassline and raw, crunching drums. It’s an oozing voice, full of treacly surfaces, injecting the song with searing passion and wickedly beguiling coloration. Almost like drifting on dark clouds, “mhm” rolls out low-slung steroidal layers of stripped-down alluring fat filaments of piquant sounds. Alberta & The Dead Eyes have it going on!
RANDY RADIC
What an imaginative journey MMMMM is – David Boone’s ear for music and the spirit filling his songwriting is clearly of the moment, but also for all time. It results in an artistic work strong enough to stand posterity’s glare.
MINDY MCCALL
Boone’s take on blues music upends it somewhat, surrounding it with theatrical trappings its progenitors would have never considered, and even has an artsy edge bearing down on it in some respects. Nevertheless, Alberta invokes a true feeling for the form and gives it extra spark thanks to the depth of Boone’s lyrical content. Alberta isn’t just some excursion in lieu of more serious work or a one off lark; Boone has invested great time and obvious effort to make this album hold so well together. MMMMM is the first chapter in a potentially life changing story for David Boone and volumes to follow are likely to expand on this significant triumph.
LORI REYNOLDS
MMMMM’s songs are evocative without ever falling into clichés and driven by compelling arrangements and vocal performances alike. No matter what name Boone chooses to write and record under, he’s creating a body of work that wears its debts on its sleeve, but refashions those influences into something truly his own. This eleven song collection may rate as one of 2018’s out of left field releases for you, one you didn’t see coming in this musical climate, but there’s no question David Boone is the real deal as a musician, singer, and songwriter
MARK DRUERY
This is a cross between Americana and alternative rock, in some ways, with the artier side of Alberta’s inclinations often shaping their take on traditional material in unexpected ways. Even the bluer moments included on Alberta’s album MMMMM are given an added spin with a more modern sensibility. Sometimes it manifests itself as rock while other times come across as sheer force of David Boone’s personality shaping their style to satisfy his own personal needs. There is definitely a single artistic sensibility guiding MMMMM, but it’s truly impressive how the heart of the project, songwriter and singer David Boone, can assume a variety of convincing vocal disguises.
Alberta’s MMMMM does traditional music in a way no else dares and the sense of risk about the songs here, the personal gamble that seems to emanate from every song, sinks into attentive listeners from the first and never lets go.
LOREN SPERRY
MMMMM… it's lo-fi, but powerful as all get-out, radiating visceral colors and a brash bad-ass attitude.
"Jay Walk'n" opens with crunching percussion seguing into a dark, wickedly hefty, and sensual indie-rock tune, like Chris Isaak on steroids. Strapping guitars, austere and flavored with oozing bluesy textures, abrade the atmosphere with tight, raw harmonics.
Boone's voice, raspy and inflected by a deliciously languid drawl, conjures up ghostly tones of Bob Dylan and Tom Petty, dense with uncooked, primal timbres, like a snarling sotto vocewhisper. It's a grandly evocative voice, capable of nuanced wild passion.
With "Jay Walk'n," Alberta delivers a cool sound aching with gut-wrenching force, along with starkly reckless vocal tones. Alberta most assuredly got next up.
RANDY RADIC
The first taste of MMMMM (see what I did there?) is the Tom Waits-esque, “Parlour.” The intro is soulful and latent with hints of old-school blues. The song feels as though it has a long southern drawl straight from Louisiana, and an attitude that hits you square in the jaw. When combined with Alberta’s metallic and almost whining vocals, a delightfully pleading yet grungy vibe is added into the mix. The track’s slow and easy beat are manipulative and engaging as if to coerce the listener into hanging on his every word. Like the slow drip of honey, Alberta’s vocals are sickeningly sweet and tauntingly slow.
Gritty and raw, making music cheaply but as if his heart, soul and his front porch indie rock blues life were on the line, Alberta is a unique, offbeat, whispery and growly singer-songwriter in the mold of Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen. Like those guys, he weaves stories that keep us hanging on every word. But he sets himself apart…
“Parlour” feels like the saddest church song ever, a heartbreaking sermon heard by only the lonely.
The joy of MMMMM – can’t resist writing that title over and over! – is its constant shift in spirit and mood…the raw instrumentation and the cool way he textures and creates echoes for his vocals may remind classic rock fans of John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band period. And that’s worth muttering MMMMM for!
Parlour combines elements of soul, the blues, and old school rock ‘n’ roll together with modern elements to make something that sounds entirely new, straddling decades old and new. The time signature is something soul purists might particular recognise, and whilst the track sounds fairly simple at first, there’s a lot more going on than first meets the eye. Check Alberta out here and see what you think – they’re making an older style sound more modern, and that’s something to be commended!
Imagine yourself in an old bar (on the wild side of town), full of smoke with this track on… the ideal soundtrack… that will haunt your nights and make you whisper its lyrics the next morning. This is a true gem. Riveting!
Detroit native and musician David Boone, who records under the moniker of Alberta, doesn't care for convention, opting instead to create a sound that acts as a conduit for a host of wide-eyed and open-ended influences. Reshaping and rearranging aspects of folk, blues and moody indie rock, Boone loops in some tender and often intimate experiences to balance out the sway and swagger of his jukebox arrangements. With a voice that barks and pleads and persuades like Tom Waits before the realities of life ignited the charcoal at the base of his throat, Boone conveys struggle and joy with the insight of a man who's seen far too much and is attempting to keep that darkness at bay for just a few more minutes.
On his new single, "Parlour," Boone wraps himself up within a series of twirling organ lines, clanging guitar rhythms and sparse percussive echoes. Its bluesy atmosphere is supported by a pitch black humor and wit that infuses every word and description. The song recalls the somber environments of Morphine or Leonard Cohen but without succumbing to the gravity and burden of those kindred influences. There's even a bit of darkened carnival jazz threaded throughout its length, resulting in a warped musical melange that rejects tradition and allows Boone's own mutated creativities to shine through. It produces a volatile landscape of reverberating noise and raw nerves which reveals the underlying weight and affection of its experiences.
Dave Boone, who performs creaky, fractured folk-blues under the name Alberta recently released a new EP containing six songs: the first three in spare, demo-ish form, just solo guitar and vocals; the second three more finished, produced versions of the same songs. Those latter renditions are wickedly weird and compelling. Boone adds synthesized strings and drums to create timeless, atmospheric noir-pop that blends the best of Beck, Tom Waits, and the xx.
Last year Dave Boone arrived in Seattle by way of Detroit, bringing with him a troubled mind and bruised singing voice—something like a Millennial Tom Waits with better elocution. So Says Wynona, his album of 21 spare, urban-rustic folk-blues songs recorded under the name Alberta, shines with dark, magnetic ambiance. --
JONATHAN ZWICKEL
Alberta is not your typical blasé indie soundtrack. A relatively seasoned musician, his most recent project plays up a raw, unedited sound, mixing a folk/Americana vibe with chill yet quirky soundscapes to create a unique effect. The refreshing aspect of Alberta’s music, though, is his diversity of sound, which still maintains a common thread that makes his music his own. Artists like Alberta are a rare breed.
CHARLOTTE HOLLEY
This fucker just landed on my desk and it immediately lifted my spirits. I have been feeling slightly off all day, a bit tired and cold as the blustery part of December is starting to beat down on NYC, and Street Sounds felt like a nice warm shot of brandy and a electric blanket for my soul. Alberta for all I know might be a monumental asshole who beats up red head charity cases for the Fuck of it, but I doubt it. The glow of his guitar and timber of his voice make me want to cuddle with him, his lady friend and their dog in the back of a jeep while counting shooting stars and shit.
Alberta is like a nice glass of wine mixed with a bag of jolly ranchers. Sweet, sensual and vaguely dreamy. Take a mix of David Gray's voice, a batch of Sylvain Chauveau strings and mood, and the feeling of coming in from the cold. It is recipe for heavy breathing and easy evenings. Perfect for these dog days of winter, throw some warming liquor down your gullet, get some fleece underwear and your favorite lady or man friend and let the night unfold. Alberta's amazing ep Caves is the perfect soundtrack for such a night. Full of muted colors, goofy as Fuck smiles, fading sounds and a general sense of joyful and life fulfilling melancholy. Alberta's voice matched with those haunting guitars drills into your subconscious and opens up a gusher of all of those reflections, leaving you a weepy lump of joy and longing.Caves is a fucking gateway drug for nights spent wrapped up in blankets, eating pints of Ben and Jerry's, chased with boxed wine and watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on a continuous loop.
Through four songs of awesome, Caves digs deep, dropping all sorts of sticky fingers into your past. Plucking the right memories, adding them to your psychic mixtape and then jumping back into the stacks to look for that next perfect occurrence. shit "Street Sounds" alone can turn a grown man, with a granite facade, into a child who lost their favorite teddy bear. shit is hitting your emotional switches Eazy E style bro.
Alberta is perfect for subway listening, it feels like you are one dimensional onion layer removed from the rest of these assholes making their way to work. Caves drops you in the soup and lets you float around and simmer in its hearty perfection. 9/10. --
TIM BAKER
While clearly gifted with an unique melodic sense and instrumental dexterity, Alberta's greatest asset on It’s A Viral Darling is his voice. Alberta possesses a haunting, soulful tone, touched with fever and angst; it’s the perfect foil for the shimmering guitar in “American Splendor” and clangs loudly against the crooked melody and halting country twang in “Lake Affect.” Lazy, curled organ and sauntering drums swirl in the background against his sweet, syrupy singing in “Hesitations.” It’s a quirky, quixotic album that rewards curiosity. --
PATRICK CONLAN
It’s refreshing and rewarding to hear unadulterated, unprocessed, and unfiltered musical expression, that which embodies true artistic merit even if it risks the unfortunate distinction of being too “alternative” in a homogenized music industry, ultimately to be forsaken by Corporate Headquarters. Michigan native Dave Boone, who goes by the moniker ALBERTA, is one such fearless artist who channels his musical spirit without apology, not content to maintain an even keel but rather to evoke spontaneous changes in a song’s shape and texture, releasing instrumental forays that explore the sonic wilderness, never failing to return in a timely fashion as though it may have been imagined.
JEFFREY BURNS
"Fucking brilliant...absolutley wonderful"--
NICK TANN
Alberta inhabits the burred, darkly beautiful fields of Americana, the vocals and electric guitars are equally gristly at times. Alberta's anti-folk style blends in a bit of gothic blues; some darker, meditative dirges are warmed by hearty vocals, humming organs and yowling lap steel; minimal at some points, epic at others. --
JEFF MILO