Alex Arrowsmith

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Alex Arrowsmith.
Alex Arrowsmith.

Alex Arrowsmith (born July 10, 1982) is a singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon whose songs range from abstract and eclectic to folky and melodic. They consist almost entirely of his own performances on vocals, keyboard, guitar, bass guitar, drums, and other miscellaneous instruments. He has currently self-released 7 albums on his own independent label, Ectoplasmic Records. All of his albums are self-produced, and many of them feature clean and layered production.

Arrowsmith's influences include They Might Be Giants, Ben Folds, The Beatles and The Cure, all of which are reflected in his vast musical reach.

Contents

[edit] Discography

[edit] Honey, I Shrunk The Meat Grinder (2001)

In the summer and fall of 2001, Arrowsmith tried to record an album of lush, Weezer-esque pop songs that he had spent the last year writing, but he failed to come up with something he was satisfied with. As a sort of antidote, he went the opposite direction and recorded an off-the-wall acoustic album in two days, in November, 2001. It ended up serving as a fitting launching pad for his subsequent artistic development, as it was a clean slate that distanced him from his previous high school bands and recordings. However, some songs, such as "Charlottes Web" and "Blowkiss" did originate during his high school years.

  1. Intro
  2. How To Make A Fire
  3. Uppercut
  4. Movie Review 1
  5. Charlottes Web
  6. Blowkiss
  7. Im Powerful
  8. Movie Review 2
  9. Who Got The Huh?
  10. Slice Of Life
  11. Al Pacino
  12. She Likes My Name
  13. Movie Review 3
  14. Gerald Ford
  15. Bamama

[edit] A Bunch Of Songs (2002)

Following the stripped down acoustic nature of Honey, I Shrunk The Meat Grinder, Arrowsmith opted to write and record a set of fully-produced pop songs in the Meat Grinder vein. From January to August 2002, Arrowsmith recorded over 40 songs, 31 of which became A Bunch Of Songs by Alex Arrowsmith. A truncated version was released in April 2002, but an expanded and "official" version was released the following November after Arrowsmith churned out another handful of songs. Many songs, like "So Long, Mrs. Wong" and "Sports Fright" continue to be live staples.

  1. Surgeon
  2. So Long Mrs. Wong
  3. Respect The Bear
  4. Yeti Or Steve
  5. Beard Down to Here
  6. Fear The Torpedo
  7. Chee's Chocolate Radio Spot - 1986
  8. The Man With The Golden Touch
  9. Beard So Soon
  10. The Shark Was Coming At Me But Then It Blew Up
  11. Rap How I Wanna Rap
  12. Seize The Grappling Hook
  13. Who Got The Huh?
  14. Fitness Test
  15. Alien Jump Rope Party
  16. The Bear Fantastic
  17. Crazy Polter
  18. Eighteen Wheeler
  19. Gas Station Jacket
  20. Spiderman and Dracula
  21. Hat This Tall
  22. Keep That Rope Taut
  23. Charlottes Web
  24. My Dudes Are Your Dudes
  25. Sports Fright
  26. What Goes Through My Head Every Time I Go To A Sub Shop
  27. Chee's Chocolate Radio Spot - 1994
  28. Verb Unit
  29. Wolverine Trapped In A Safe Deposit Box
  30. Fondue
  31. Haffa Stache

[edit] Sacramento Gold (2002)

Before A Bunch Of Songs was even released, Arrowsmith recorded a batch of acoustic songs over two days in September, 2002. However, unlike Meat Grinder, Sacramento Gold was not nearly as off-the-wall or quirky. It was Arrowsmith's first real attempt at a serious singer-songwriter album, and the result was his darkest effort to date. The recordings and performances are much more rough than A Bunch Of Songs or even Meat Grinder, but the songs showed that Arrowsmith was not comfortable pursuing just one direction, as future releases would continue to illustrate.

  1. Cold
  2. Sacramento Gold
  3. She Wants to Kiss Me
  4. November
  5. The River Why
  6. Just Like That
  7. Thinking of Ewe
  8. The Storm Pt. 5
  9. Walk It Off
  10. Scenes From an American Restaurant
  11. All Things
  12. Beam Me Up Chad Beam

[edit] The Brask (2003)

After the dour Sacramento Gold, Arrowsmith wanted to record another album of quirky pop songs, and the result, The Brask, was similar to A Bunch Of Songs, except much more focused. The Brask was much more in the vein of The Beatles or They Might Be Giants, as with songs like "Let The Sideburns Burn" and "Freeze Tag." There was also an emphasis on non-traditional songcraft with many of the songs, much like The Beatles' middle period.

  1. Blimp
  2. Let The Sideburns Burn
  3. Tentacle
  4. She Wants To Kiss Me
  5. Colorado
  6. Pangaea
  7. (Whats Up Witchoo) Fu Man Chu
  8. I Have to Go Bee
  9. Hit In Brazil
  10. Arts And Crafts
  11. Brassstache
  12. Please Please Please
  13. Freeze Tag
  14. The Bog And The Bayou
  15. Do the Splits
  16. Prince Williams Secret Moustache

[edit] Crack House (2003)

In October and November of 2003, Arrowsmith finally realized his long-coveted Weezer-esque guitar pop album. Consisting of as-yet-unused songs written over the past two years, Crack House relies purely on melody and traditional 1960s songcraft. It was also somewhat of a return to the more serious themes of Sacramento Gold, while still being upbeat and accessible.

  1. Time Travel
  2. Found The Hound
  3. Dinosaur
  4. Cast My Shadow
  5. She Turns The Screws
  6. Put On A Show
  7. Modern Man
  8. Banana Seat
  9. She's A Magnet
  10. I Had An Idea
  11. Soldier Down
  12. No Tomorrow

[edit] The Albatross Project (2004)

In January 2004, Arrowsmith began writing for another album akin to A Bunch Of Songs and The Brask. After whittling down the over 40 songs written to 20, Arrowsmith began recording The Albatross Project in summer 2004. It features his most polished production and fully realizes the ideas introduced nearly three years prior on Honey, I Shrunk The Meat Grinder. Arrowsmith's Brian Wilson and Beach Boys influences are especially visible on The Albatross Project.

  1. I Am The Ice Age
  2. The Loss of Your Albatross
  3. The Industrial Revolution
  4. Fight The Cougar
  5. Trow
  6. I'm Your Back Hair
  7. Banana Slug
  8. (You've Got To Earn) My Respect
  9. Missile Silo
  10. Hummingbirds
  11. It's A Druid Eat Druid World
  12. Gemstone Rap
  13. Admire The Admiral
  14. Pirates Are Not Funny Anymore
  15. Black Omen

[edit] Wharfless (2005)

What began in October 2004 as a simple, stripped down acoustic album became Arrowsmith's most difficult album to record, but also his most adored since A Bunch Of Songs. Reportedly written during an episode of Dr. Phil in September 2004, "New Times And Fire Road" was Arrowsmith's greatest achievement to date, with the final Wharfless version featuring layers of vocals and guitars. The songwriting was also his most inspired yet, again revisting the singer-songwriter aspects of previous releases with increasing focus, resulting in an effective set of songs reminiscent of Neil Young and R.E.M.

Recorded from January to March 2005, Wharfless also features for the first time Arrowsmith playing every instrument, even drums (where before he often used synthesized accompaniment). The production is more raw and results in a rougher sound, similar to the 2000s-era garage rock sound.

  1. New Times And Fire Road
  2. Wharfless
  3. Bail
  4. The Daylight
  5. Not For Good
  6. What You've Done To Me
  7. Hold On To The Wolves
  8. Millions Murdered
  9. When I Died
  10. Need Someone
  11. Tried And True
  12. Haggle
  13. What Daze

[edit] The History Of Fishes (2005)

Following on the heels of Wharfless, Arrowsmith began work on another record, but one that was a departure from its rawer predecessor. Recorded in July and August of 2005, The History Of Fishes was a cleaner and more atmospheric work than Wharfless. It was a mostly synthesizer- and acoustic guitar-driven album, with songs focusing more on universal issues (i.e. "No Wonder," "Borrowed Time," "New Rain") as opposed to the more personal examinations of Wharfless. However, elements of humor are still to be found within the songs, as with much of Arrowsmith's work.

  1. These Are The Golden Times
  2. Get Lost
  3. No Wonder
  4. Borrowed Time
  5. Indigo
  6. In An Empty Room
  7. New Rain
  8. Break My Back
  9. Doggie Paddle
  10. Skeleton Key
  11. The Oil Fields
  12. The Ghost Of Swan Island
  13. I Built A Wall

[edit] Applewine (2006)

In the spring of 2006, Alex began writing and recording demos for his next record. The overall style is arguably lighter than Wharfless and The History Of Fishes, although his usual dark, sometimes even macabre, streak runs through most of the songs (i.e. the mention of drawing and quartering in "Engulf The Manatee"). It is also his first actual CD release, as opposed to the homemade CD-Rs of the past.

  1. Plains Of Mostly Still Life
  2. Coldplay Got Eaten By Piranhas
  3. Fearful Symmetry
  4. I Can Kill My Enemies With My Mind
  5. Engulf The Manatee
  6. Under Your Spell
  7. Hills Of The Mind
  8. Land Of Dainty Wonder
  9. I Hope You're Never Crushed By Something Heavy
  10. I Wasn't Meant To Be
  11. The Bevel Collector
  12. Bugs
  13. Update Your Blog
  14. Corn Dog Shaped Like California
  15. All I Have To Do Is Hurt You
  16. Elysium

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Arrowsmith, Alex
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American singer-songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH July 10, 1982
PLACE OF BIRTH Portland, Oregon
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
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