The Alpha Centauri

The Alpha Centauri on Myspace

http://thealphacentauri.com/

Performer Magazine By: Lulu McAllister

January 2010

"Indie rock" is a how one might be tempted to label Minnesota-based the Alpha Centauri, but the title doesn't do the band justice. Relying on a wide assortment of instruments - which includes, but is not limited to cello, saxophone, synthesizers and trombone - the quartet's debut album balances blues-saturated subject matter between equal parts pretty, electronic experimentation and classical, orchestral precision. Without sinking its teeth completely into any one particular genre and yet borrowing tastefully from many, the Alpha Centauri has created a full-bodied sophomore work that breathes richly textured melancholy. The ominous, vibrating synth opening Lavarocks' first track, "Rainbow," gives the impression that the album is about to break into something aggressive - a driving drum machine or perhaps a piercing electric guitar riff - but very quickly, the music swerves in a far less obvious direction. The listener lands in a dimly lit, smoke-filled room where Luke Anderson's hi-hat-dappled percussion cushions languid guitar, icy keys and Lance Conrad's emotive vocals. In some places, the song's individual instruments appear to rise together in a cloud of delicately indistinguishable ambient sounds. In others, the entire arrangement flickers briefly like a dying neon sign with small, artful production nods from Evan Beaumont on his sequencer. The goose bumps have already set in and Linnea Mohn hasn't even sung yet. Versatile vocalist Mohn joins Conrad for a passionate, nearly operatic duet tickled with brushes of synth and sweeping drums on "Boys and Girls," and later switches to a bolder rock vocal style on buzzy "Electrostatic." "Keep Our Cards Close" exhales introspection and Mohn brings the album to a stunning close with her perfectly distilled angelic notes."

"Twin Cities band The Alpha Centauri lives up to its solar-system-sized sonic aspirations on 2009's Lava Rocks, an over-the-top prog-rock epic. Whether it's favoring the electro-funk theatrics of “Electrostatic Shocks” or more ethereal space-rock on tracks like the Radiohead-indebted “With Respect To Landscapes,” The Alpha Centauri's sound is vibrant and distinctive."

-The Onion, Madison

"[...]And finally we come to the band that is poised to blowing up in the next couple of years, The Alpha Centauri. This quartet has amazing musical talent. [...] These guys play so tight together, I know they will find their way to big stages, arenas, and festivals in the future. Though early in the year, this is my current band to watch in 2009. I cannot recommend this band enough."

-Ian Indo, www.TwinCityScene.com

"I am blown away by the extravagant sounds, depth, and energy throughout this entire album. There is a very well mixed sound of indie rock, classical elements, and electronic sounds. These guys have found another dimension in music and have practically spelled it out for us [...]."

- Erik Beyer, OnlineRock.com

Lavarocks Review

"[...] this hotly anticipated release from forward-thinking Minneapolis quartet the Alpha Centauri is more akin to the cerebral joy usually only delivered by groups like Omaha's Shelter Belt collective.

The album - nay, odyssey - opens curiously with "Rainbow," which owes as much to Midlake's Fleetwood Mac vibrations as the hordes of never-really-given-a-proper-chance acts on the Astralwerks roster pushing out hypnotic, electronica-tinged daydreams worth their weight in gold.

In other words, the Alpha Centauri sound is kind of hard to pin down. Fans of "Kid A" will absolutely love 'em, but that's not saying they sound like Radiohead. They've got the cool demeanor of Norwegian Sondre Lerche, but their songs aren't all that romantic. And, while they might share some superficial adjectives with groups like Cloud Cult, I can't see any raised-on-the-radio types going ga-ga for these guys anytime soon.

Hopefully I'm wrong, though, because they'd really be missing out on one of the most mind-expanding albums I've encountered in some time. I hate to totally lean on Timothy Leary, but he was really on to something when he pushed his fingers forward and uttered the phrase "turn on, tune in, drop out."

Something about this cycle of songs screams "close your eyes, snap those headphones on and just ? fly away."

Even those who don't have that kind of time - let's face it, fully immersing yourself in a recording requires a certain amount of friend alienation/goldfish starvation - will find the sweeping "Boys and Girls," the sepia-toned "With Respect to Landscapes" or the smooth, David Byrne-y "XX" to be nice, commitment-light entry points.

No matter how you make your way to this record, just do it. There is something special going on here, and, like a good film, sometimes words just don't do it justice."

-Mathew Perrine, Duluth News Tribune

"The Alpha Centauri, an indie-rock band from Minneapolis with Eastern and electronic influences. Click on the link in the previous sentence to hear a Fall 2007 demo from the band called "Noise." I can't even begin to describe how hypnotically amazing the combinations of different styles is in this track. The song manages to incorporate all of Radiohead's post-OK Computer catalog and put it into an electronic, free-jazz blender. Needless to say, it's a tad avant-garde, but also quite listenable."

- Jonathan Graef, www.MinneapolisFuckingRocks.blogspot.com