Alcestice – 'Watch Me': An album that will surprise you!

Her first album was presented by Alcestice. Fuzzy Hound Fuzzy Hound listened to the record titled 'Watch Me' and offers you the roadmap of it!

A musical sensibility that impresses from the very start

With artists' first works, you never quite know what to expect. But that's the magic of the whole thing, since the surprise is a given. And so it was with Alcestice we couldn't get a clear picture of the genre, not even through the lens of the teasers that had been presented earlier.

On the music

Listening to the record, we'd say it's hard to pin it down clearly into one musical style. There are many different elements that make up the tracks. Musically, there are guitars with a dynamic rock sound, while rhythmically we can also make out some progressive elements. Melodically speaking, both the vocal lines and the melodic foundations of the tracks will surprise you. Personally, I needed several listens to be able to decode the record's musical secrets.

Coming to the voice, here we have many different elements intertwining. It's a very distinctive voice, offering unexpected elements to the tracks. It's quite low and full of 'colour'. In the 'clean' parts of the songs, we get performances that aren't soft and are marked by a wild beauty. In the more 'revved up' parts, there's a controlled 'grit' that gives the track substance. All this creates songs that, in terms of performance, are emotional bombs.

Listening to it, the listener gets swept up in a storm of emotions and images.

The record has exceptional emotional charge. It's one of those collections where, when you listen, it's clear that the tracks on it are the lived experiences of the songwriter-singer. With lyrics that create images, a puzzle of elements comes together to captivate the listener.

Credits

Alkistis Ioannidou: Vocals
Criss Razis: Guitar
Tasos Peppas: Drums
Kostis Vihos: Bass Guitar

Special thanks to:
Peny Sakellariou: electric keyboard (Sissy)
Apostolos Kaltsas: bass guitar (Sissy)
Tasos Antoniou: acoustic guitar
Oliver Knight: violin
Konstantinos Papathanasiou: music (What do you see)
Thanos Arapakis: music (How long will you chase me?)

Lyrics/Music: Alkistis Ioannidou
Recording/Mixing/Engineering: Petros Petropoulos
Production: Petros Petropoulos–Alkistis Ioannidou
Mastering: Anestis Psaradakos

Artwork/Design: Alkistis Ioannidou
Photography: Rafaela Koutantou

In conclusion

There are cases where, when we listen to certain records, it's obvious they could be so much more than just a collection of tracks. And this one gives us the sense that it could be depicted as a comic or a novella. It has plenty of darkness and tension, which give the musical element a very distinctive dimension. Moreover, it's clear that the record has one and only one protagonist, a singular heroine, and that is the performer. Everything is built around her and aims to bring out her characteristics.

This album is exceptionally interesting, and we'd recommend not just listening to it, but letting it sweep you away into its stories. It will certainly stir up very powerful emotions in you, which, in any case, are genuine.