Alive (Again) is a laid back, jazzy psychedelic rock inspired concept album presented as the soundtrack to a 1970s British horror film. As someone who's spent a decent amount of time listening to vintage soundtrack albums, I was immediately hooked by the premise.
The album opens with some soft jazz drumming and moves into a soft warbling guitar arpeggio. We find the drums suddenly return along with a jazz organ bringing a slightly sinister undertone. Over the course of the album, we experience a dreamy shifting between eerie ambience and this more present jazzy psychedelic rock sound.
Track four Bad Dream features a dark and brooding bass drone with strings passing above. The atmosphere is unsettling. I imagine one of those tense extended shots with no dialogue, perhaps taking place somewhere in London at night.
Track five Darkroom features eerie guitar sounds and a sinister bass, transitioning into a more upbeat sound with the return of our jazz drums. It feels like we could be seeing the perspective of a charismatic villain.
As the album proceeds, I find myself wandering in thought more frequently. The tone stays largely bound between the narrow guides described above. One of the things that draws me to listen to soundtracks (often for movies I have not seen) is the experience of following the unseen narrative arc, questioning what could be happening on-screen to warrant this musical development. This experience was somewhat missing from Alive (Again). The consistency in the tone means I felt very rarely surprised. With only a few exceptions, the album felt like it was lacking those abrupt incidental tracks whose primary function is to fit a brief event, like just 20 seconds of shrieking violins or some out of place electronic noises. This is the kind of stuff you won't find on an ordinary album, but it's exactly what I hope to encounter in a soundtrack album. Track 11, the title track of the album, coming in at 32 seconds and consisting entirely of a brief chord progression, is a perfect example of this. I wish the album had more moments like this. The tone took a more interesting and dynamic turn in the final few tracks, but it felt too late.
As a whole, I enjoyed the album. It captures a very specific sound in a way that feels extremely authentic. If you're looking for background music during a late night stroll or something to inspire you as you work on a creative writing project, this album is a great choice. I can easily see myself returning to this album in the future.