It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Jeffrey Alexander around here. The jack-of-all-trades musician is behind so many of our favorite bands and projects of the last handful of decades, and often operating multiple monikers simultaneously. As this year has shown, there is no sign of the Philadelphia-based artist slowing down his creative output any time soon. Since at least late September, we were treated to three totally separate releases by three different projects of his: New Earth Seed by Jeffrey Alexander and The Heavy Lidders, Easy Portals by Dire Wolves (Just Exactly Perfect Sisters Band) and a vinyl release of his 2021 solo album, Reyes.

No matter the breadth of material the cosmic musician might be working on or releasing concurrently, he always throws his entire self into the music, and he’s always paired with the best crews for the job—resulting in nothing but strong, soulful performances that take your mind to distant lands and alien dimensions. So here’s a quick roundup of what Mr. Alexander’s been up to these last few months…

New Earth Seed – Jeffrey Alexander and The Heavy Lidders (Arrowhawk Records)

Alexander is not only joined once again by Drew Gardner and Jesse Sheppard of Elkhorn and Kohoutek himself, Scott Verrastro, for this absolute mind-fryer, he’s also looped in Movietone’s Kate Wright, percussionist extraordinaire Ryan Jewell, Jeff Tobias of Sunwatchers and Modern Nature, Psychic Ill’s Brent Cordero and Geologist of Animal Collective. Chris Forsyth even produced the record and plays with the group, as well. This is perhaps one of the most insane lineups of any LP within the entire psychedelic rock realm from the last 30 years, and it’s time we celebrate it as such.

With each band member and guest artist adding their own unique sounds to the mix, the record is lush and vibrant, and just sparking with excitement. You can truly hear and feel just how jazzed the musicians are to be all working together. Alexander leads this heady ensemble down some gnarled and phantasmic rabbit holes on this record, but it’s his multifaceted lineups that give these sonic journeys their vivid colors and spritely energy.

This is unquestionably an essential record for fans of the jams. Get yours here.

Easy Portals – Dire Wolves (Just Exactly Perfect Sisters Band) (Centripetal Force/Cardinal Fuzz/Ramble Records)

Speaking of jams, back at the end of October, Centripetal Force, Cardinal Fuzz and Ramble Records co-released this transportative 2022 improv session by the reunited Dire Wolves, and it’s a wild ride for sure.

Rich with the trademarks of the group’s classic sound, like haunting electric violin, eerie vocalizations and unearthly synth drones that tangle up with interstellar guitar meanderings, this kosmische exploration drifts far out into nebulous primal zones that snake their way through thick swampy atmospheres. This is astral rock that is very much tied to the tangible loamy earth.

Much like the work of rural cosmic pioneers, like Träd Gräs och Stenar and Amon Düül, the group’s loose jamming, with its fluttery sax trills and rattling percussion, easily conjure up images of fly agaric faery circles, giant stone monoliths and ancient moss-covered forests and the hungry wolves that live in their shadows.

American listeners can get their copy here. (Click here if you’re in the UK, or here if you’re in Australia)

Reyes – Jeffrey Alexander (Feeding Tube/Ramble Records)

Feeding Tube and Ramble Records have teamed up to co-release the vinyl issue of this laid back and tranquil instrumental solo album that originally appeared as a cassette on Garden Portal in 2021.

At the time of the GP release, I had this to say:

“Alternating between electric and acoustic instruments, Alexander keeps to a mostly unhurried pace, which allows for the songs to have a wandering looseness and a pastoral calm. The drifting acoustic jams, like “Perpetual Sunrise,” especially take on a bucolic vibe with the addition of swirling flute-like keyboards and softly jangling bells.

Yet, what gives this album the undeniable Alexander touch is the audio manipulations and hazy distortions. By wobbling the speed and pitch of some of the instruments and then blanketing everything under a thick layer of tape hiss, the music on this record feels creaky and unstable, like something from a fever dream.”

This is the kind of album you put on while you rake up the autumn leaves in your yard and take a rest under your trees afterwards. Click here for the FT release, or here if you’re one of our Australian readers.

-KH