Trick (Alex G album) explained

Trick
Type:studio
Artist:Alex G
Cover:Alex G Trick.png
Genre:Indie rock[1]
Producer:Alex G
Prev Title:Rules
Prev Year:2012
Year:2012
Next Title:DSU
Next Year:2014

Trick is the fourth studio album by American musician Alex G. It was originally self-released through Giannascoli's Bandcamp page on November 6, 2012, and later reissued in a professionally mastered version via Lucky Number on April 6, 2015.

Along with Giannascoli's previous release, Rules (2012),[2] Trick quickly made him gain popularity between independent artists,[3] [4] and has become one of his most successful and representative albums.[5] [6] Contemporary critics generally appreciated it for its dark and emotionally-touching themes of intimacy, nostalgia, and hope,[7] surrounded by an eccentric aesthetic.[8] [9] The album was given further acclaim after its reissue in 2015,[10] following DSU's success, and then in 2022, thanks to some songs such as "Mary" and "Sarah", which became viral on TikTok and Spotify.[11]

On March 18, 2022, a reissue of Trick was released via Lucky Number as a bundle along with single "Sarah", containing the three bonus tracks added in the 2015 remastered edition of the album.

Artwork

The album's cover is a photo featuring a German Shepherd running down the central aisle of St. Donato Roman Catholic Church, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As Giannascoli explained, it was taken by his sister Rachel during their grandmother's funeral:

The owner of the dog is unknown. It was later referred to as stray.[12]

Critical reception

Trick generally met a positive response because of its experimental and 'psychedelic' elements.[13] Colin Joyce of Beats Per Minute appreciated Alex G's mastered use of music to amplify emotional resonance rather than 'structural meaning', as well as his catchy and memorable melodies. Thanks to the support of a split with Californian artist R.L. Kelly, in 2013 Giannascoli won The Deli's reader's poll for Best Emerging Artist.[14] He expressed his surprise to such notoriety:

Trick became more popular than Rules, released earlier in 2012, for it stood as a better synthesis of Giannascoli's eccentric and creative personality.[15] French reviewers À Découvrir Absolument and EnvrAk lauded its ability to recall 90s rock music while adapting to other genres with multiple instruments.[16] As it received further attention on account of DSU's release (2014) and its own reissue (2015), critics started to express diversified opinions; Trick's DIY and experimental style eventually led it to be deemed also overlooked and 'smothered'—as well as Giannascoli's previous Bandcamp releases. Q wrote "a little extra salt in his songwriting and [Giannascoli] could yet conjure up a classic". At the same time, Tamlin Magee of The Line of Best Fit claimed that "while there's distortion and feedback throughout, catchy hooks and considered melody naturally soar above the production". Sharon O'Connell in her review for Uncut described Trick as "less hazily fragmented and more tied to song structure [than ''DSU'']". For Uproxx, Ian Cohen ranked it as Alex G's sixth best album—God Save the Animals (2022) being the latest release—and wrote "Trick was downright indulgent at 37 minutes, 16 songs and some of which were clearly larks or, dare I say, filler". KRUI-FM author Samuel Bowden called it "beautifully messy" and "a classic in Alex G’s catalog, if not an important record in indie music".

Aggregator Metacritic assigned Trick a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 4 professional reviews, inticating "generally favorable reviews". Trick was compared to the works of artists such as Built to Spill, Coma Cinema, Pinback, J Mascis, Steely Dan, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Starlight Mints, Sparklehorse, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Giannascoli's vocals were debated as well, with The Line of Best Fit reviewer Tamlin Magee affirming their unfitness compared to the instrumental performance, and stating at the same time that "each of the songs is endearing enough for this not to matter, and crucially, his vocal presence is never overbearing". On the other hand, Colin Joyce of Beats Per Minute described Giannascoli's one as a "developed songwriting voice"; KRUI-FM claimed it covers a crucial role in building the atmosphere: "Alex G’s voice is key". Both critics[17] and fans gave particular attention to "Change", a song about the feeling of discomfort towards the passage of time—"something that everyone experiences", as Giannascoli explained.

Track listing

Notes

Sample credits

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart (2024)! scope="col"
Peak
position
UK Independent Album Breakers (OOC)[18] 5
UK Independent Albums (OOC)32
UK Record Store (OOC)4
US Indie Store Album Sales (Billboard)[19] 3

Release history

!Country!Date!Format(s)!Edition!Label!
VariousNovember 6, 2012Standard
North America2013CassetteHaze Tapes[20]
FranceMay 19, 2014Bonus trackKütu Folk[21]
VariousApril 6, 2015Remastered vinyl LPStandardLucky Number[22]
Bonus tracks
AustraliaJuly 3, 2015[23] Remastered CDSpunk[24]

Notes and References

  1. News: DeLuca . Dan . Alex G: One-man band a Philly indie success . . December 7, 2014 . July 20, 2015 . July 21, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150721220854/http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/dan_deluca/20141207_Alex_G__One-man_band_a_Philly_indie_success_story.html . live.
  2. Web site: Lavin . Kris . Alex G - Trick / Rules review . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240108093711/https://diymag.com/review/album/alex-g-trick-rules-album-review . January 8, 2024 . June 2, 2024 . DIY.
  3. Web site: Moreland . Quinn . June 17, 2014 . Not Hollow: In Philadelphia with Alex G . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150919051235/https://www.imposemagazine.com/features/alex-g-interview . September 19, 2015 . June 22, 2024 . Impose.
  4. Web site: Feinberg . Hannah . April 8, 2014 . On Our Radar: Emerging Philly Musician Alex G. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230608120829/https://www.phillymag.com/things-to-do/2014/04/08/alex-g/ . June 8, 2023 . June 23, 2024 . Philadelphia.
  5. Web site: Alex G - Trick (album review) . live . https://archive.is/5jlrY . June 2, 2024 . June 2, 2024 . Sputnikmusic.
  6. Web site: Helfand . Raphael . January 19, 2024 . Alex G announces RCA signing, shares tour dates . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240307204138/https://www.thefader.com/2024/01/19/alex-g-announces-rca-signing-tour-dates . March 7, 2024 . June 23, 2024 . The Fader.
  7. Web site: Newman . Gary . June 23, 2014 . Alex G - Trick . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230610120802/http://www.adecouvrirabsolument.com/spip.php?article5455 . June 10, 2023 . August 11, 2024 . adecouvrirabsolument.com . fr.
  8. News: O'Connell . Sharon . March 23, 2015 . Alex G: Trick . live . https://archive.is/xiefD . June 23, 2024 . June 24, 2024 . . 73.
  9. Web site: Joyce . Colin . January 16, 2013 . Bandcamping #8: Alex G, Hella Better Dancer . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240623154307/https://beatsperminute.com/bandcamping-8-alex-g-hella-better-dancer/ . June 23, 2024 . June 23, 2024 . Beats Per Minute.
  10. Web site: Cohen . Ian . September 23, 2022 . Every Alex G Album, Ranked . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240121221146/https://uproxx.com/indie/alex-g-albums-ranked-god-save-the-animals-review/ . January 21, 2024 . June 24, 2024 . Uproxx.
  11. Web site: Bowden . Samuel . November 2, 2022 . This Week in Music History: "Trick" by Alex G . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230929193342/https://krui.fm/2022/11/02/this-week-in-music-history-trick-by-alex-g/ . September 29, 2023 . June 23, 2024 . KRUI-FM.
  12. Web site: Garland . Emma . April 10, 2015 . We Ate Pizza and Talked About Real Shit with Alex G . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240309070609/https://www.vice.com/en/article/rq4bdw/we-ate-pizza-and-talked-about-real-shit-with-alex-g . March 9, 2024 . April 25, 2024. Vice.
  13. Web site: Massari . Victor . November 5, 2013 . Alex G released a split w/ R.L. Kelly (stream it), playing NYC; Frankie Cosmos & more playing The Le Sigh zine launch party . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230326223717/https://www.brooklynvegan.com/alex-g-released/ . March 26, 2023 . August 10, 2024 . BrooklynVegan.
  14. Web site: February 7, 2014 . Congrats to Alex G - The Deli Philly's Readers'/Fans' Best Emerging Artist of 2013! . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20211208062751/http://philadelphia.thedelimagazine.com/16754/congrats-alex-g-deli-phillys-readersfans-best-emerging-artist-2013 . December 8, 2021 . August 10, 2024 . The Deli.
  15. Web site: January 27, 2015 . Alex G – Trick / Rules . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402062922/http://www.luckynumbermusic.com/news/alex-g-trick-rules/ . April 2, 2015 . June 27, 2024 . luckynumbermusic.com.
  16. Web site: Beck . Virginie . May 21, 2014 . Alex G en plein Trick . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150824210840/https://www.envrak.fr/musique/alex-g-en-plein-trick/ . August 24, 2015 . August 12, 2024 . envrak.fr . fr.
  17. Web site: Cook . Will . June 20, 2014 . Alex G — DSU . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240811163714/https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/alex-g-dsu-review/ . August 11, 2024 . August 11, 2024 . The Quietus.
  18. Web site: TRICK – ALEX G. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240112203447/https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/alex-g-trick/ . January 12, 2024 . August 20, 2024 . Official Charts Company.
  19. Web site: Alex G Biography, Music & News . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240820180939/https://www.billboard.com/artist/alex-g/chart-history/tas/ . August 20, 2024 . August 20, 2024 . Billboard.
  20. Web site: Alex G – Trick (2013, Blue, Cassette) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240426173736/https://www.discogs.com/release/5365063-Alex-G-Trick . April 26, 2024 . April 26, 2024 . Discogs.
  21. Web site: ALEX G - TRICK . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160606043509/http://kutufolkrecords.bigcartel.com/product/alex-g-trick . June 6, 2016 . April 27, 2024 . kutufolkrecords.bigcartel.com.
  22. Web site: Lucky076 - Alex G: Trick . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150201012034/https://www.luckynumbermusic.com/releases/lucky076/ . February 1, 2015 . April 27, 2024 . luckynumbermusic.com.
  23. Web site: June 1, 2015 . Alex G’s Trick out July 3.. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170317014737/https://spunk.com.au/alex-gs-trick-out-july-3/ . March 17, 2017 . April 27, 2024 . spunk.com.au.
  24. Web site: Trick . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160501065907/http://www.spunk.com.au/releases/trick/ . May 1, 2016 . April 27, 2024 . spunk.com.au.

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