art: Alex Bleeker & the Freaks LP

"Hold The Presses, Stop the Show"

Eleven days before it hits shelves, we feel like a proud mama in getting to introduce to you the cover of Alex Bleeker & the Freaks self-titled debut. Since Sawyer introduced the band via YouTube Vid Chat/Bald Eagles soaring over the vast American landscape, I've fallen head over heels for the Freaks, so much so that I may or may not have held up a lighter while swaying during "Common Sense" the last time I saw them. The first long player in the Underwater Peoples catalog, the Freaks record contains some of the most unabashedly blessed rock n roll I've heard in a long time, recalling a time when meandering solo's were as wistful as a strong wind blowing hard as you speed across I-80 towards the unknown. It's unwavering in its timelessness, and yes, will, at times, remind you of the archival Neil Young releases. While much of the record is based around Alex Bleeker's solemn, road weary songwriting, a welcomed move away from all the idiosyncratic indie stuff, it wouldn't be the Freaks without Julian Lynch's surreal shredding, which will drive even the most apathetic of listeners into an absurdly O-faced air guitar solo. Example, "Dead On," which, yes, hits its stride just as GD did in '77. This 1:06 selection is probably an excerpt from a "Fire on the Mountain" jam, and, well, that's alright with us.

Alex Bleeker & the Freaks- Dead On

Contest: First person to name all of the Freaks on the cover will gain free entrance to the Mountain Man, Alex Bleeker, Liam the Younger, No Demons Here show at the Church of the Messiah on December 11th. Do so in the comment section.