When I first met Alexander Noice, I knew he was a special character and a brilliant musician, but when I first heard his brainchild, Falsetto Teeth, I knew he was a visionary. It was one of those moments where you see a close friend break into a new plain of realization and bust open a world of potential you never knew waited within them. I’m not sure if it was their first show, but it was certainlyone of the first, and the promise it held was incredible! A promise that comes to full fruition in their brand new avant pop rock masterpiece, Boiling High Idol.
On Boiling High Idol, Falsetto Teeth puts their unique aesthetic on display in wildly brilliant colors. Drawing from a range of influence that spans the entire history of rock ’n’ roll and looking toward a future that synthesizes the the serious and surreal, the album’s sonic palette is nothing short of mind-bogglingly expansive. In live performance the band is a true power trio pairing Alexander Noice’s guitar and vocals with the incredibly versatile, fiery, and virtuosic rhythm combo of James Barry on bass and Cory Beers on drums. On the album, Noice draws extensively from his experience composing in a variety of genres, and combines “an arsenal of otherworldly instruments and noisemaking gadgetry” with the band’s notoriously explosive live sound into an organic listening experience that is cinematic in scope.
Boiling High Idol has literally been sculpted and cultivated with meticulous care over several years. The band dove deep into these compositions, some dating as far back as 2010, developing and shaping them in live performance before taking them into the studio. Noice recalls: “the collaborative effort, musicianship, and aesthetic input from Cory and James was crucial in unifying the carefully planned details and subtleties in this record." At that point, Noice took the tracks to a whole other level, tweaking and reshaping the arrangements with home-made samplers, toys, and odd instruments, and fleshing out the concepts to a point of almost manic artistry. “My goal was to orchestrate an organic aural experience that would bring listeners out of their heads and engulf them in the surreal sound world these recordings embody and convey. Though the choices in this production and recording process were a departure from previous recordings and live shows, the density and complexity of the album makes for an exhilaratingly fun and intriguing listen.”
I couldn’t agree more! As a fan of experimental rock and pop, I have to say this is one of my new favorite records. It’s a total blast from start to finish, and a perfect union of creativity, musicianship, intellectualism, craft, and straight-up “fuck it” attitude!
Bravo Falsetto Teeth, bravo!
— Daniel Rosenboom, June 2nd 2014