Alexander – Alexander

Branching away from his ten-strong Bohemian clan known as the Magnetic Zeros, the debut solo undertaking from Alexander Ebert is an intimate stripped-down affair. Otherwise known by his alter ego name, Edward Sharpe, this acoustic record is reminiscent of a withdrawn feeling of repose. Recorded alone in his room, along with guitar and a Lowery organ picked up at a thrift store in Los Angeles, it is the sound of being content in one’s own company, with knees to slap and fingers to snap.

With the guise of a Byzantine Jesus, Alexander is an uplifting moment of intimacy, gushing with memories, endearing harmonies, and even some capricious yodelling on Remember Our Heart. This humble album flows with relative consistency, cordial and sensitive, yet almost quite pedestrian, with violin-scattered Glimpses standing out as the most heartfelt number. To be shelved alongside Devendra Banhart and Blitzen Trapper, Alexander is tenderly understated.