Alex Wellkers is far from some flash-in-the-pan musician destined to serve up a few unremarkable releases before fading into obscurity. Youthful exuberance can fuel many artistic careers, at least early on, but Wellkers’ new album is now bas all the marks of a lifelong creative force. famous now includes nine original songs from the Swiss-born songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist. While it isn’t entirely wrong to label it alternative or even grunge, it does a profound disservice.
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Wellkers’ songwriting chops are evident from the get-go. “Get This Far” doesn’t need an assortment of bells and whistles to get under listener’s skin but, instead, hinges on little more than Wellkers’ voice and the song’s piano playing. It doesn’t need more. His broader songwriting skills begin emerging for first-time listeners with the album’s second number. “What Keeps Me Alive” doesn’t take on the larger canvases of the album’s later tracks but it offers glimpses of the daring to come. Those glimpses come from idiosyncratic tempo shifts present in the track, though they aren’t especially plentiful. It’s much more an out and out rock track than anything else, however, and that’s far from a slight.
“Believe in What You Do Here” is one of the album’s pre-eminent heartfelt statements. It isn’t difficult to imagine the lyrics and vocals alike are pulled up from somewhere deep within and reflect not a single experience, but rather a lifetime’s worth that has brought him to the place where this song became possible. Few songs on the album burn with the same inspired inner fire as “Dread Passion Love” and it kicks off with three song-defining turns within the first thirty seconds. Despite this wide-ranging creativity though, the song hangs together. The surprises keep coming as the track progresses.
Acoustic guitar, synthesizers, electric guitar, you name it, and “Satisifed” likely make use of it. This is another of the album’s bigger tracks and much of it is defined by a long, dramatic wind in its arrangement that helps develop the song in a powerful way. The smattering of echo laid over Wellkers’ voice here and elsewhere adds atmospherics without sounding absurd. “I See You Give In” gives little quarter to listeners and even less to the song’s subject in one of the album’s most scathing lyrics. Introducing a high-octane track this late in the album could backfire if the song isn’t any good, but there is no danger of that here.
“Now I See, Now I Regret” sustains the same songwriting point of view we’ve heard in many of the album’s earlier songs and it’s his final exploration of a more expansive canvas than we hear in songs such as “I See You Give In”. Make no mistake though, “Now I See, Now I Regret” slithers, churns, and moves with often raw power. It’s an excellent choice for bookending the album with the opener, the contrast is stark, and bristles with confidence. Alex Wellkers establishes himself with famous now and you will be hearing more, without a doubt.
Loretta Kim