The Brandy Alexanders Debut with Intoxicating Melodic Psych Rock

A Brandy Alexander is a brandy-based dessert cocktail, which according to Wikipedia was John Lennon’s favorite drink. It wasted him and Harry Nilsson at the Troubador in March 1974, and eventually, they were kicked out of the prominent Los Angeles nightclub after they had heckled the performing act and Lennon reportedly had hit a waitress. The potent drink also inspired the name of Canadian psychedelic rock band The Brandy Alexanders who released their eponymous debut album last Friday (December 10). The sound is quite melodic and, yes, intoxicating.

The Brandy Alexanders were formed by brothers Alex Dick (lead vocals, guitar) and Daniel Dick (keyboards) in 2016, notes the band’s biography. The brothers, who write the group’s lyrics and music, had started their musical journey in high school where they formed two now-defunct bands. Sean Shepherd (lead guitar), Zack Vivier (bass) and Robbie Cervi (drums) complete the group’s line-up.

The Brandy Alexanders describe their music as follows: Somewhere in the expanse between the Dark Side of The Moon and Abbey Road – Psychedelic Rock band, The Brandy Alexanders, take you to a parallel universe. Introspective, and almost existential lyrics are expressed via dream like vocals that weave themselves into a wall of propulsive guitar riffs, textured synths and a bold rhythm section. Jeez, couldn’t have said it any better! 🙂

In 2019, Renan Yildizdogan, the founder of Gypsy Soul Records, saw The Brandy Alexanders at a local performance venue in Toronto. He subsequently signed them, and their debut appears on the independent label. During an interview with Canadian Beats, the band said the album’s album origin was a 2016 EP, which eventually developed into the nine tracks that are out now. Time for some music. Unless noted otherwise, all tracks are credited to Alexander Dick and Shawn Dawson.

Here’s the opener Ceiling Fan, Man. The tune first appeared as the album’s lead single on August 27. It’s got a cool riff and a big sound that drew me in. Here’s the official video – quite trippy!

Shiram is a nice rocker. In addition to the fuzzy guitar, I like the keyboard work on this track.

Hey, Why’d You Do It is another song with a great riff and a cool sound. It’s just catchy.

Next up: Live by the Light, a tune solely written by Alex Dick, and the band’s new single. “This song evolved over the course of two years, eventually adding the chorus and the unison guitar part after Alex and Dan did multiple demos,” the band told Canadian Beats. I dig the groove. And once again, the sound is great!

The last track I’d like to highlight is the closer Spaceopus, a co-write by the two brothers. And, yes, it’s spacey and has an epic feel to it!

I came across The Brandy Alexanders by coincidence. For some reason, I didn’t see their new album when I checked iTunes for new releases last Friday. While it does get a bit repetitive after some time, the sound of this band is pretty compelling. I look forward to more of their music in the future.

Sources: The Brandy Alexanders website; Canadian Beats; YouTube