Music
Pop music then…🎶 A terrible habit to get into, for sure! It’s a never-ending quest for a memorable tune, a hummable banger – hoping for the profound, adjacent to the ridiculous.
Here are some of the long-players I’ve produced over the years. In each case they’re collaborations with brilliant people and talented players. Sure, none of us have yet purchased that chateau on the Loire 🏰 with the streaming service royalties... but we’ve made some rather lovely music along the way.
Dive in, below.
Astrid & Alexander
Romantic Music Plays Loudly – Album, 2023
Incredibly happy with how this delightful collaboration came out. Twelve songs from myself and Astrid Rostaing – artful and elegant, jazzily breezy pop. Drums and percussion by the inestimable Mike Monaghan, mixed and produced by Garo Nahoulakhian.
"A neat, clever bit of polite new wave… reminiscent of Talking Heads at their arty best."
The Times, 22 June 2023
Alexander’s Festival Hall
Not from above! - Album, 2019
A twelve song album that was part of a book+LP concept release. In keeping with the story collection, these were songs built on ‘what if’s?’ and fictional flights. The devil is dating your best friend. Affairs go askew on German King’s romantic getaway island. Upbeat even as things end in differently flavoured tears.
The Devaley
Storied – Album, 2025
A collaboration with the poet Guy Sangster-Adams. A really rewarding and interesting project, I wrote music for a selection of Guy’s poems – which are richly detailed, witty and yearning tales that span pop’s imperial 1960s phase to the sadness of the British seaside. The music spans imaginary punk to cinematic bossa nova and French chansons.
Coming summer 2025.
Alexander’s Festival Hall
Not a dry eye in London
– Album, 2013
Born out of the bedroom DIY music tradition, but with its aspirations firmly in the hi-fi sophisti-pop category, this was my first solo album.
I think in my head I was determined to emulate the cool, glitchy ‘bit-pop’ type sounds that seemingly everyone in Shoreditch was making in the noughties. In reality, you can’t escape yourself – so it ended up being quite lush and romantic. There’s a sample of Charles Aznavour that really galvanised the whole project. The moment I heard it, I could imagine something new and exciting built on-top. Fabulous guest vocals from Piney Gir on ‘I’m gonna get married’ too!
Alexander’s Festival Hall
Upturned (the mixes)
– EP, 2019
Upturned was an EP that preceded the LP, back in 2011 I think. A song born of a section in the Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Murakami. A lyric that started surreally enough with someone escaping a well… but then you never write in a truly literal way, all sorts of other ideas and feelings end up getting revealed.
The fantastic remix (remake really) of the track by contemporary classicist, Simon Bookish - aka Leo Chadburn stripped things back and let the harmonies and yearning stand alone. Zachary Gray from Canada gave it a stellar dreampop, smoke in the club rework too. Check them out...
Shot on location in Lee-over-Sand. Filming and production by Julius Beltrame.
I was convinced that the world was overdue a male-centred paean to the wedded life. I still am ;-)
Simon Bookish (Leo Chadburn) remix - re-directed from video footage offcuts by Julius B.