When I first heard the band The The, I thought the lead singer was too cool for school. I felt like he was just singing between puffs of cigarette and modeling for Calvin Klein or some cult-following fashion designer. After hearing “Alice” from singer/songwriter (and model) Trevor Drury, my world was once again derailed. Drury, like Matt Johnson, brings invisible baggage to his voice. “Alice”, part pop and a slither of jazz, gathers the angst of the proletariat class and the optimism of a Bohemian poet.
Drury, born in Arizona and for a time living in San Diego, brings a solid piano foundation to his work. As in previous outings like “Jealousy” and “Snowy Nights” Drury keeps the listener engaged with a sound that doesn’t fit the status quo. According to his press materials, “Alice”, which is from the upcoming multi-track release Alice It’s All In Your Head, “popped into his consciousness as graffiti on an abandoned rain at a station near the US-Mexico border in San Diego during the filming of the provocative video (now on YouTube) of his song ‘Head on the Tracks.’”
I think that the theme and vision of a train track or in this case a non-moving train is intriguing. Supposing it were a real person, the Alice in Drury’s song seems to hold the answers to life’s questions that Drury ponders. His voice, as confident as it sounds, is almost childlike at times, as if he were observing adults at a party, and he’s too young to be a part of the action.
The way the piano and strings, sounding very electronic, flow, it’s like he’s pressing fast forward on the VHS tape. A bit of garbling and a lot of missed words and memories abound in the music bed. His voice also contains an inkling of jaded experiences. I can’t stop repaying the way he sings meet your maker in my mind, hours and hours later. His voice holds so much residue of color and artistic fervor. I wanted to bottle it up and take it home.
He also notes in his press materials that he aims to write songs with movement. “Alice” is gushing with movement, both lyrically and musically. It pushes forward, never stalling. There are some amazing pop songs out there that take everything literally, and I can’t say this is one of those songs. But it’s still amazing. I loathe songs that don’t challenge me in some way, that don’t change an emotion or trigger a reaction. “Alice” is a constant song dagger of emotion, imagination and power. It’s also an effervescent light that strings itself together by the piano and a stirring string arrangement.
Drury collaborated with Grammy-winning songwriter Marc Swersky (Joe Cocker “Trust In Me”, Hilary Duff “Workin’ It Out”). He also worked with Grammy-nominated mixer Mark Needham (The Killers “Mr. Brightside”, Chris Isaak “Somebody’s Cryin”). String and cello arrangements were performed by Dave Eggar (Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”). Awards and accolades aside, Drury has himself a runaway hit with “Alice”.
Jodi Marxbury