Music Review: Cult hero Alex G's ‘Headlights' is an introspective meditation on fame
This is the kind of wrestling Alex Giannascoli, better known as the influential indie rocker Alex G, performs on 'Headlights,' his 10th album and first on a major label. 'Has your wish come true?' he asks, perhaps of himself, on the aptly titled 'Is It Still You In There?'
Although Giannascoli achieved quiet success early in his career — collaborating with
Frank Ocean
on his critically acclaimed
2016 album 'Blonde
' and joining the R&B superstar on tour — Giannascoli has, until recently, been more frequently labeled a cult indie figure than a household name.
But the 32-year-old has risen to prominence in recent years, particularly after his 2022 album, 'God Save the Animals,' which marked a distinct shift from his austere, lo-fi sound to more robust production and instrumentation. He has since collaborated with the pop star
Halsey on her latest record
and scored
filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun's
A24 horror hit,
'I Saw the TV Glow.'
That trajectory informs Giannascoli's contemplative poignancy on 'Headlights,' releasing Friday. 'Some things I do for love / Some things I do for money / It ain't like I don't want it / It ain't like I'm above it,' he admits on the 'Beam Me Up,' his whirring guitars strumming mesmerizingly against airy background vocals.
Many of his lyrics here, like in the past, are poetically inscrutable. But there are also moments of explicit frankness about ambition, self-doubt, transition and success. 'Hoping I can make it through to April / On whatever's left of all this label cash / No I never thought I was the real thing,' he croons on 'Real Thing,' as a pan flute synthesizer whistles underneath him.
With 'Headlights,' Giannascoli continues further down his 'God Save the Animals' sonic pivot to higher fidelity — perhaps to be expected on an album coming from a major label like RCA Records — recording in studios in lieu of his home for a more ornate sound.
Think dreamy synths and reverb-soaked riffs. Subdued lyrics and a distorted guitar solo almost turn 'Louisiana' into
a shoegaze track.
'Louisiana / Wild and Free / The only one who wanted me,' he repeats with distorted vocals.
If there is a central message to 'Headlights,' it appears on the song 'Bounce Boy.' 'I'm up in the clouds and I pray,' he sings with pitched-up vocals, one of his signature effects. 'Say goodbye / To the life / That you knew for so long.'
For better or for worse, there is no turning back.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
The World's Best Whiskey—According To The 2025 New Orleans Spirits Competition
A marriage of Scotch and American whiskey-making traditions, Lineage took home the top prize at the ... More 4th annual New Orleans Spirits Competition All the talk in the spirits world last week was reserved for Tales of the Cocktail, the industry's largest annual conference. But since 2022, the gathering – which takes place every July – has also played host to a lesser known judging event: The New Orleans Spirit Competition. A late arrival to the increasingly dense booze-award-industrial-complex, NOSC is looking to make up for lost time by coming out of the gates with an impressive array of professional palates. It helps, no doubt, that many of them are already in town for Tales. The competition also professes to stand out thanks to its unique evaluation format. The entries are judged, as described on its website, thusly: To be clear, the audience does not get an actual vote in the process. But they do enjoy a place in the room and are afforded an opportunity to be a part of the conversation. As such, it's a slightly more democratized process than anything else you'll see in the industry. And, as with any truly independent competition, each spirit is tasted in the blind. Ultimately, hundreds of awards are doled out ranging from Best of Category down through Double Gold, Gold, Silver and Bronze. There's also a separate evaluation for Packaging Excellence. But what we care most about is how it all distills down in the best of the best distinctions. For that there are 11 separate 'Spirits of the Year." There can be only one for all the major liquor categories plus RTD, No & Low Elixir, and Syrups & Mixers. Today we're taking a closer look at what those panelists deemed the best whiskey of the year for 2025: Balcones Lineage, an American Single Malt distilled and aged in Waco, Texas. The unique 94-proof liquid marries whiskey making traditions typical to both the US and Scotland. To wit, it's made from a combination of Scottish and Texas-grown barley, which is then matured in refill and new oak barrels. The best of both worlds; Old and New. In the pour, this hybridization results in a sweeter, fruitier nose – raspberry, banana and apricot steal top-notes from the underlying malt. There is a dryness to the initial sip; cedar and sarsaparilla, opening up to reveal cinnamon spice in the finish. A prolonged breadiness stays with the back of the tongue long after it has gone down. All in all this is a fantastically approachable dram, particularly from this distillery – a craft darling which was purchased by Diageo in 2022. Balcones often brings to bottle higher-proof offerings that can be challenging to the whiskey novice. With Lineage, it has managed to walk that fine line, delivering something that satisfies newcomers and advanced sippers, alike. And it does so at the crowd-pleasing price of $40 a bottle. To take home the top prize, Lineage bested some big names from far more prominent genres of whiskey, including the Bourbon and Scotch categories that helped informed its creation – categories with hundreds of years of history. American Single Malt, by comparison, was only formally recognized as a style at the beginning of 2025. Perhaps laudable recognition such as this can help lift its stature on the international stage. Either way, it arrives at a pivotal time for American spirits as a whole. According to the most recent economic report from DISCUS, exports of such just reached a record high of $2.4 billion. And as of this weekend, the US and the European Union appear to be on the precipice of a new trade agreement which would keep those exports shipping out, tariff free. 'We are optimistic that in the days ahead this positive meeting and agreement will lead to a return to zero-for-zero tariffs for U.S. and EU spirits products,' says DISCUS president and CEO Chris Swonger. 'This will benefit not only our nation's distillers, but also the American workers and farmers who support them from grain to glass.' It'll also benefit European connoisseurs eager for their first sampling of American Single Malt. And for that, as the judges in New Orleans have made clear, Balcones Lineage is a sensible starting point. The whiskeys from Balcones distillery feel bold, clean and distinctly American. (Bill Hogan/Chicago ... More Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Fox News
3 hours ago
- Fox News
'Duck Dynasty' star Willie Robertson shares late father Phil Robertson's final message
"Duck Dynasty" star Willie Robertson revealed the final message that his late father shared with their family before his death. In May, Phil Robertson, famous for founding the Duck Commander hunting company that became the focus of his A&E show, died at the age of 79. The "Duck Dynasty" family patriarch had previously battled multiple health conditions, including Alzheimer's disease. "Phil had been struggling with Alzheimer's for a while," Willie, 53, said. "It was on our mind for sure, his condition. It's part of life." He continued, "Phil had such a strong faith. He told us before, 'Do not cry at my funeral. I know where I'm going.'" 'DUCK DYNASTY' STAR PHIL ROBERTSON FORCES HIMSELF TO EAT AS HE BATTLES ALZHEIMER'S, PLANS TO 'KEEP THE FAITH' "What a life he lived," Willie added. "We heard that from thousands of people, the people he impacted. Phil would have wanted us to do exactly what we're doing. Whatever is a reflection of that faith, and our show is a reflection of our faith." "Not overtly. We're not trying to preach to people or convert people, but I think you can see the fruit in the faith of our show and our family and how it sticks together through good times and bad. That's why we are on this earth. As we move on, I think it's a reminder to all of us the time will come. I hope I have a funeral like that where people feel that way about me as well." Phil, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in December, passed away during the same week that his family's new show "Duck Dynasty: The Revival" premiered. Though Phil did not participate in "Duck Dynasty: The Revival" due to his health issues, the series' first episode included a tribute to him. The video begins with footage of Willie reading an introduction for the show off his laptop to Phil, who was seen sitting in an armchair. "So ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. Only one will earn the bandana, so let the games begin. What do you think, Phil?" Willie asked. Phil replied by giving his son a big thumb's up. The scene faded to black as a photo of Phil appeared alongside the in-memoriam tribute. "Ah, that was awesome!" Willie was heard saying in response to his father's gesture in the background of the tribute. Willie's wife Korie, who joined him for the interview, told TV Insider that the timing of Phil's death was "a little surreal." "It was really special to our family that we had that one little clip," she said. "When filming this time around, he was already in the throes of Alzheimer's, so he wasn't able to be part of the show. We did film that one little thing where he gave Willie the thumbs up." LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS "It was really special because, for our family, it felt like, 'OK, this is his opportunity to pass on the torch to us,'" she continued. "It's funny to see the comments [from fans] who are like, 'The next generation are yuppies. They aren't passing things on.' "But we are passing on Phil's legacy because his legacy was first about faith," she said. "His whole motto was faith, family, ducks, in that order. His first was faith. All our kids are living that out in really beautiful ways and family." "That's what this show is about," Korie added. "It's about family, inner-generational family living life together and what that might look like. And then ducks. We're still running Duck Commander, the business he started from the duck call he invented years and years ago. That has been really special to carry that legacy on now after his passing." WATCH DUCK FAMILY TREASURE ONLINE | STREAM FOX NATION Phil founded Duck Commander in 1972. The "Duck Dynasty" television show premiered 40 years later, in 2012, before it ended in 2017. During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Willie and Korie explained how they were coping after losing Phil and how they were touched by the outpouring of support that they received from fans. "I think it's a combination of some sadness, just we miss him, but also joy and happiness from what he believed and where he was going and all the things he was able to accomplish in his life," Willie said. "And so many people that he helped and we were reminded of that at his passing. And just so many people just flooded us with messages of how he had helped change their life, either directly or indirectly through the show or through the podcast or books he has written." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER While Willie shared that it was "tragic" watching his father suffer during his battle with Alzheimer's, he said it helped prepare the family for his passing. "You're ready," he said. "We knew, he's ready to move on and so yeah, it's kind of mixed. But there was really more joy." "Phil pre-warned us," he added. "We told a lot of funny stories and just brought back all those fun memories," Korie chimed in. "It's a little bit the Robertson way. Even in the hard things, we laugh a lot through it." Korie said they hoped future generations would be inspired by Phil's dedication to his faith and how it transformed his life. "Just in passing down that legacy — one of the things that we've just been reminded of over and over again is just this man who lived down on the river, didn't own a cell phone or a computer — what God did with his life. Because he was just truly passionately sold out for Jesus," she said. Korie continued, "And so I think for all of us, it's brought even more of a boldness to our faith to say like, 'Hey, we follow Jesus, and that's who we are.' And if you want to know more about it, come talk to us because it's brought a full life." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "And a changed life," Willie added. "There would never have been a 'Duck Dynasty' show. There wouldn't have been company had his life not changed. This family would not have stayed together." Phil's wife Kay, 77, has previously spoken out about how the couple faced marital struggles in the early years of their union due to Phil's alcoholism and infidelity before he committed to his faith. The pair, who married in 1966, had four sons including Willie, Alan, 59, Jase, 55 and Jep, 47, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "It's all responsible to his faith and his life change, of he and mom together to keep this family together," he said. "And now we're seeing so much fruit of that."
Hamilton Spectator
7 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
George Lucas finally comes to Comic-Con to give a preview of his new museum
SAN DIEGO (AP) — George Lucas is finally coming to the stage at Comic-Con. And while 'Star Wars' is sure to get a mention, the 81-year-old is making his debut appearance at the San Diego pop cultural extravaganza for a more earthbound reason: a preview of his long-in-the-works Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. The Sunday panel discussion in Comic-Con's vaunted Hall H will act as a relatively quiet closing act to the four-day festival that brought its usual series of big, bombastic looks at upcoming sci-fi and superhero projects. The museum-centered session is also meant to be a broader discussion of the new institution's subject matter: the histories and traditions of narrative art across time and cultures. Lucas will be joined by fellow filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro and art director Doug Chiang, who has worked on a steady series of 'Star Wars' films starting with the Lucas-directed prequels in 1999. Queen Latifah will act as moderator. Lucas is easily on the Mount Rushmore of figures whose work has had the greatest inspiration on the kind of films and other pop cultural celebrated annually in Hall H at Comic-Con. But the convention wasn't a common showcase for blockbuster films when he was directing them himself. He sold 'Star Wars' and Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Co. in 2012, and Disney has used different venues to make big splashy presentations about its properties. The museum founded by Lucas and his wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson, is set to open next year in Exposition Park, near the Los Angeles Coliseum, several of the city's other museums, and the University of Southern California. The 11-acre campus and 300,000-square-foot building designed by architect Ma Yansong includes galleries, two theaters and related spaces.
