‘Alexander' is the second single to be released from Charlotte Hatherley's marvelous third album "New Worlds." Whilst it may be considered quite an accessible, commercial, radio friendly track it is not really that indicative of what else is on offer within "New Worlds." However as an aperitif to whet the appetite before the main course it certainly does the job.
‘Alexander’ starts off with a whimsical, almost folksy acoustic intro, which for some reason conjures up Britt Ekland’s body double prancing about the bedroom in the ‘Wicker Man’ as a bulging eyed Edward Woodward almost gives himself a hernia trying to subdue the beast within (sadly this probably says more about the reviewer than it does about the song). The track sees Charlotte trying to elicit a sense of openness from the chap around whom the song centres, it would seem he is unwilling or unable to provide our Charlotte with the reassurances she is seeking and his reticence to give himself totally to the relationship seems to be something that deeply troubles Ms H. One can’t help but feel that Alexander’s attempts to keep things to himself have somewhat backfired and must rank up there with Rod Hull’s “I’ll just pop up on the roof to adjust the TV aerial” as a “bad idea” in the “Bad Idea Hall of Fame!” You see unfortunately for Alex, Charlotte’s gone and written a song about it now and it’s been on the radio and everything...and it’s not only Ms Hatherley wondering- ‘what kind of dreaming you do behind your innocent eyes’ -it’s the nation!! That’ll teach you eh ?
The song essentially deals with honesty and emotional depth within relationships. We never find out exactly what Alexander is hiding but Charlotte definitely senses there’s another side to his character which he is keeping hidden. Can she trust him? Just what is he holding back? Does he disappear come the full moon and return somewhat disheveled with a craving for raw steak? Or worse, is he a young conservative?! Of course it’s perfectly plausible that Alexander, resplendent might I add, in his suit of royal blue, has nothing sinister to hide at all, he might be an avid trainspotter, attend the odd Star Trek convention (is there any other type?) or simply enjoy the unrivaled adrenaline rush provided by secretly collecting horse brasses. Who knows?
‘Alexander’ is the sort of song that slowly draws you in before it hooks you with a fantastic chorus but the real surprise is just how good the accompanying ‘Black N Red’ remix is. I don’t normally enjoy remixes but this I’m afraid is absurdly good, it might not quite do for Charlotte what Weatherall did for Primal Scream with ‘Loaded’ but it’s one of the best remixes you’re likely to hear this year. If you’re planning to buy the album but have maybe decided to skip the single, rest assured it really is worth a couple of quid for this version alone..... and here’s an idea..... how about a remix album?
Last edited by altsounds : October 15, 2009 at 09:46 AM.
Overall Rating
8
Vocals / Lyrics
8
Musicianship
8
Production
7
Creativity
7
Lastability
8
Reviewers Tilt
8
77%
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Re: Charlotte Hatherley-Alexander (Single)
Great work as always Mr Von Pip.
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Charlotte Hatherley-Alexander (Single)
Re: Charlotte Hatherley-Alexander (Single)
