So the last ever album from Alex Hungtai under his Dirty Beaches alias has arrived, and it provides the name with a fitting send off. Over 40 minutes and four instrumental tracks he nails that feeling of being in permanent motion, of constantly travelling but never arriving. At times it's slightly unsettling, at others soothing and calming, but overall it just feels like a really honest piece of work. I'm not sure how he's managed it without words, but a get a sense that he's really baring his soul on this release, that he's opening up and saying "this is what it's like to be me sometimes". And there's also a strong sense of bringing things to a close and moving on, with the final track title - 'Time Washes Away Everything' - in tune with that vibe.
I have a huge respect and admiration for Alex (ok, I'm a bit of a fanboy) and I'm really pleased that I got to see him in the summer in London before he retired the Dirty beaches name. Fortunately he's still going to be releasing music and I'm sure whatever comes from him in 2015 will be worth hearing.
I have a huge respect and admiration for Alex (ok, I'm a bit of a fanboy) and I'm really pleased that I got to see him in the summer in London before he retired the Dirty beaches name. Fortunately he's still going to be releasing music and I'm sure whatever comes from him in 2015 will be worth hearing.
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