2nd October 1999
Alex Lloyd
Tonight's Playlist

quicktime movie real video 56K real video 28K get free quicktime player | get free realplayer

There are tunes that serve as wallpaper to our lives and then there are songs which demand attention and enhance our existence. Songs which stop you in your tracks, a combination of voice, lyric and music that compel you to listen again and again. The 13 songs on Alex Lloyd’s debut album Black The Sun fulfil that criteria and then some. Alex’s hypnotic vocals and intriguing lyrical ideas have evolved from a pure desire to entertain. His drive to affect others with music began from an early age when as a precocious child, he would voluntarily perform for his family, friends and whenever there was a gathering of people.

"Some of the shows were pretty out there," he laughs on reflection. "Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve wanted to entertain, make people react or feel something."

His teenage years were spent playing at every opportunity - in the bedroom, at parties, busking on the streets of Balmain. Alex gained a certain amount of recognition - with the indie rock outfit Mother Hubbard, who distinguished themselves as a renowned live band and scored much appreciated support on radio.

Alex embarked on his solo career in early 1997 when he began writing songs for his debut album in tiny studios around Sydney’s inner west.

Recording Black The Sun began in early 1998, with Daniel Denholm contributing string arrangements and good friend Trent Williamson engineering and programming with Alex. During this time, the songwriter went to Miles Copeland’s legendary songwriting workshop at a medieval French castle. More learning time for the fledgling solo artist.

"I was in the middle of making the record but I wasn’t going to pass up a chance to go to Europe," Alex said. "I was very hesitant when I got there because I didn’t want to get too swayed by other people’s methods. I didn’t realise it until I left but I really got something out of it.

I had spent two years virtually alone, the first writing everything and the second recording it until I realised I had become too close and needed a different perspective. I headed for Mars Studios in Santa Monica to finish the album with former Psychedelic Fur and now producer Ed Buller" (Pulp, Suede). Another adjustment phase followed as the pair worked toward a common sonic ground.

"It took Ed and I about a month to get used to each other - we had some pretty massive arguments. Sometimes I had to leave the studio for a while and just let him do his thing. I’m pretty happy with how it worked out in the end," Alex said.

"Most of my songs aren’t really about one thing or one person. They are probably more a compilation of thoughts and ideas I’ve collected," Alex said.

Triple J high rotation introduced Australian music fans to this captivating new sound via debut singles, Black The Sun and Peepshow and the track Snow, from the Scream II soundtrack. Music Director Arnold Frolows says of Alex’s debut album "It’s emotionally assured and sexy - one of the solo debuts of the year."

Rolling Stone when Powderfinger’s Bernard Fanning was asked who he thought was Australia’s best male vocalist, he replied "Alex Lloyd. Hands down".

A brilliant marriage of rock sensibilities and contemporary grooves with Alex’s distinctive vocals, Black The sun is an album which rewards repeated listens by unveiling the subtleties in both words and music.

Official site