San Francisco songwriter E.G Phillips latest album Alien from an Alternate Earth sees the acclaimed musician return with a rousing piece of classic albeit subtly quirky jazz music. Put together through an innovative and rather quaint jazz ensemble arrangement alongside whimsical lyrics, the entire record feels like a portal into a different time. There’s a feel of Sinatra to it all, but also a strange sort of reimagination of what Dylan himself would be. Opening with a delectably breezy and melodic swooning piece that is ‘Till We Have Faces Again’, the mood for the entire record is set straight. It’s loaded with textures and intricacies, but never once feeling like there’s too much going on.
Alien from an Alternate Earth feels like a storybook, narrated by an almost Cohen-esque delivery alongside an arrangement that takes you across quaint antique landscapes and more. From the jagged, prickly, almost venomous, and knife twisting swagger of “That May Not Be Good Enough” to the more subtle, composed, and atmospheric collection of sounds like “Ode to the Wildhorse Cafe”, there is no shortage of diversity within this record.
You’re taken down the seemingly absurd, not just through the continually more alarming and intriguing song titles, but also through a certain sensibility that Phillips is able to evoke throughout the record. It’s ever so light, not really delving into anything particularly downcast or heavy. The entire experience of listening through Alien from an Alternate Earth is, simply put, effortless and soothing. If easy listening could be reduced to a singular conception, this record would have it in swathes. It has you feeling all kinds of comfort, taking you to places you’ve imagined in your head but can’t seem to recollect, and evoking the most rosy nostalgic memories you’ve long since been yearning to recover. A refreshingly modern take through a wholly classical presentation.