The cover art for Paradise – the new album from Scottish folk musician Alex Rex – is inspired by a Frank Powolny photo of Marilyn from 1953. Here’s the blurb…
“Singing drummers may now be in vogue, but very few combine the masterful musicianship, vivid lyrics and expressive vocals one experiences with Alex Rex. In fact, few musicians have a CV as impressive as band leader Alex Neilson … Paradise is his fourth album as Alex Rex. Whilst the first three were shrouded in loss and loathing, Paradise is a different beast. In many ways Paradise marks a fresh start for the Glasgow-based polymath. Reunited with ex-Trembling Bells vocalist Lavinia Blackwall for the first time since the band’s demise – Marco Rea (Euros Childs) and regular collaborator Rory Haye make up the rest of the Paradise party, with guest vocalist Kacy Lee Anderson (Kacy & Clayton) blowing a seductive smoke-ring through one track.
Paradise introduces us to a new and uncharacteristically playful side of Alex Rex. Many of the songs on Paradise were written in early lockdown with no opportunity to rehearse, which also happens to be Neilson’s preferred method. ‘Choosing talented people to record 13 songs that they’ve never heard before with a 3-take limit … to my mind this captures the songs at a vital tipping point – where parts are being discovered for the first time by musician and listener alike.'”
The artwork was originally created by Karen Constance in 2018 (see here.)
Thanks to A Passion for Marilyn
The Marilyn Report 