Alberta Cross, a Brooklyn-by-way-of-London-based rock band, will open for Heartless Bastards at the Orange Peel on Friday, Sept. 11.
The British act is touring in support of its forthcoming, self-titled LP, which opens with a sweet, slow track “You’ll be Fine” — building a vulnerable mood with simple lyrics and acoustic guitar. That lasts for just over a minute before the band reveals an equal penchant for upbeat, full-bodied electric rock. The record’s remainder follows suit, converting listeners’ brain states from hopeful to subdued and back at a track’s notice.
“Isolation,” perhaps the most rhythmically artistic number, calls on whistle-like sounds to decorate an otherwise sobering song: “I can’t help it if I’m lonesome,” frontman Petter Ericson Stakee sings. His vocals are a staple of the album, reliably cathartic, particularly during frequent ventures into falsetto territory.
Elsewhere in the work, the artists dabble in neighboring genres, adding, for example, an expressive trumpet solo to close “Water Mountain.”
The content of the Stakee’s music generally points to a searching mentality, an unrest. That’s despite some pretty impressive career achievements by the young musician to date, including a 2012 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman; praise from music writers for NPR, the New York Times, SPIN Magazine and the Rolling Stone; and sharing stages with rock icons like Oasis, Ben Harper, Mumford & Sons and Dave Matthews Band over years of touring.
Check out Xpress‘ ticket giveaway for a chance to win tickets to see Alberta Cross live at the Orange Peel on Friday, Sept. 11, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15/$18, available here. Or clear the next three minutes of your calendar and settle into this Southern-inspired ballad from the band’s catalogue:
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