There have been few punk bands as synonymous with the west coast aesthetic quite like X. While their name in 2020 has become a Google search engine nightmare, they feel just as vital in 2020 as they did in the 1980s when their albums triumphantly established them as these outsiders. They would proudly declare “We’re desperate/Get used to it,” and there was something about their sentiment that was hard to ignore. You bought into it because of how straightforward their music was. It was loud and differed between being angry and disaffected, looking at the struggles of performers who would never qualify for V.I.P. treatment because while they were legends, they weren’t easy to fit into a box.
The sentiment of those early records have withstood the test of time, and it helps that the vocals remain unconventional. On one end is bassist John Doe with his deep voice while singer Exene Cervenka has a snarl that makes them sound wasted when harmonizing. Together they have made albums like “Los Angeles” into masterpieces of rebellion and reflecting a lower class lifestyle that is gritty underneath the low-register guitar blaring through the speakers, threatening to drown out the entire sound.
This isn’t to say that X has gone anywhere. They have played at various venues over the past few decades, performing all of the familiar hits that we’ve come to love. However, “Alphabetland” is their first album to be recorded by the original members since 1985’s “Ain’t Love Grand!” (and their first in 27 years) For various reasons, the band has played in different forms throughout the years, at one point taking a break due to guitarist Billy Zoom undertaking bladder cancer treatment. So many things have happened to the band that you’d think their return to music would find them more sentimental and nostalgic, looking back on a career of impressive accomplishments.
Well, not exactly. You’re not thinking of X, are you? The band recorded “Alphabetland” over the course of 18 months with all except two songs being written in that time. Doe claims that their instinct was in top shape and they just went with what they knew. When an average band suggests this, it is a reason to be cautious. Going back to what works is often regressive and never is quite captured the same. Considering that the album was also planned for a Fall release and was moved up to a surprise April release in light of COVID-19 (which is as trendy as this album gets), there’s reason to worry that this would be rushed, especially with the entire record clocking in at 27 minutes. Could it possibly compare to the sound of louder, angrier, and a less accomplished band? Well… actually, it works perfectly.’
Even with the band’s age averaging 65 (Zoom is 72), there is little to suggest that this is a punk band giving up on its ideals. It’s almost refreshing to know that this record could’ve been released anytime in the past 35 years and been just as vital to X’s image. They’re still playing fast and loud, and nowhere does Doe or Cervanka have a hint of maturity in their voice. Where you could imagine Bruce Springsteen’s voice growing deep and haggard with age, X feels like they have defied the odds to feel just as exciting and important as the bands that they’ve influenced in the decades since.
It does help that “Alphabetland” (like every new release lately) feels designed for a quarantine culture. Then again if you look at “Los Angeles,” you get a sense of urgency from somebody who wants to get out. We all do at this point, though that comment may be a bit vague when you realize what it means right now. On the surface, we all want to get out of our house. But we also want to get out from under the Coronavirus’ control or fix the economic situations that have become worse than ever before. Considering that X once proudly sang that they were desperate, they feel like a band built for this moment. There is this underlying sense of disappointment that plays through the album, and one that has always been part of the DNA.
You’d think that this album was recorded in the past few weeks based on how much it feels prescient. Even if there’s no outright mention of modern politics, it is the story of a band commenting on the world, which they desire to see change. They feel just as broke and down on their luck as they were before, and this is their anthemic yell for attention in these troubling times. Whether or not you’re listening because you’re a fan or because you have 27 minutes to kill, it’s cathartic at this moment.
The record’s anger feels more productive from underneath the guitars that mix punk rock with rockabilly and folk sounds as Doe and Cervenka trade off vocals. “Alphabetland” begins the album, discussing the building of a new landscape. Considering that the original album cover was going to be much more critical of America, it makes sense that it starts with the sense of reinvention, managing to make the United States sound like it has been warped and bastardized into something unrecognizable.
Even then, X has this way of making every song sound more personal while avoiding any sense that these are specific issues of the elderly. Doe may be an old man yelling at a cloud in theory, but you can listen to “Free” and get the heartache that he’s singing about. There is something about him singing of somebody’s rights being taken away that speaks to everyone from the teenager who feels trapped by conventional society to healthcare or even immigrant children tortured in American cages. As of this writing, there isn’t any real knowledge of what these songs are about, but there is this sense that X is taking a critical stance against what America has become while making them universal enough to appeal to the human condition, of aging into a different lifestyle.
Songs like “Water & Wine” continue this trend as Cervenka uses the religious metaphor to explore how two there are two different groups who are getting these. It becomes abundantly clear that one is flavorful and rich, while the other is cheap and gives no substance to life. “Strange Life” is another song that chugs along like classic X, featuring Doe going on at length about the world has been strange lately, making him want to know just what is going on. Along with the penchant guitar, there’s even a saxophone that kicks in, making the record pop with a necessary boost of personality as the songs seem to brisk by at a quick pace.
Despite this, there is no sense that we’re just hearing noise pass us by. Every song is given just enough time to resonate, perfectly crafted with the required elements of a perfect punk record. As it continues, there’s a sense of nostalgia that runs through songs like “Angel on the Road” as Cervenka remembers what it’s like to make snow angels. Even when thinking of a memory that’s probably years and decades prior, it still sounds like a photograph taken last Christmas, vibrant and recent in our lives.
While there are a few carryovers from other albums (“Delta 88 Nightmare” and “Cyrano DeBerger’s Back”), every song gels perfectly together. The group sounds as tight as ever as they give in to their base impulse. To have a band that knows what a great hook sounds like and evolves their sound without ever straying from what works is a beautiful thing. Even if you can’t say that this album sounds particularly revolutionary or new, there’s no denying that it’s an X record. It proves that you can grow old and stick to your guns, never letting age compromise your vision even as your insight into the lyrics have clearly evolved to be more subversive and reflective of more serious matters.
That may just be because X was always a band who were eager to rattle the framework. The feeling of songs like “Nausea” is about moments that we all face throughout our lives. Even as “kids,” they were capable of making music that appealed to a feeling. You can see it here on songs like “I Gotta Fever,” which makes being sick into something catchy and rich with deeper meaning.
Though if one wants to know what true irony is, just stick around until the end of the album. If you’re anyone who is on Twitter, you’ll know about the cynical joke that 2020 started with so much promise and ended up becoming a nightmare. We’re all disappointed and depressed now, unsure if anything will ever be the same. Our plans have fallen apart, and that leaves us struggling to make sense of anything.
So… what does X end their album with? In one last burst of energy, they sing “Goodbye Year, Goodbye” which reflects on a disappointing sense of time. Considering how much of the record is reflective of universal issues that we all have, it comes across as poetic irony (especially when noting that it was likely written BEFORE this happened). We’re already saying goodbye to 2020 even with seven months to go. We want to believe that the future will be better, and that is the underlying optimism that comes with X’s direct commentary.
If there’s one beacon of hope, it’s in the track that ends the album. “All the Time in the World” differs from everything before by featuring Cervenka reading a poem while a piano plays behind her. She speaks of how the world is chaotic and that people have died from running into poles and dirty needles. Considering that she came from the world of punk where the ethos is “live fast die young,” it rings with an extra harsh pang. However, amid her morbid image of what the world is like, she contemplates dreaming of a better future. “Alphabetland” doesn’t end with another speed race through a song, but a slowed-down track that allows the message to be soaked in, asking us to question what’s valuable in life. The funniest part is that it’s also their shortest song despite feeling like their longest.
What does X mean in 2020? In the grand scheme of things, they are a major note in punk rock history, and that will never be taken away. That’s because they were about more than anger. They were about the human condition and wanting to find something better in their cynical world. With “Alphabetland,” they create the greatest hat trick of them all, managing to age gracefully without losing their vigor. Even if the album never quite has a song as essential as their 1980s run, it’s not from lack of trying. Put any of these songs into your X music shuffle and you’ll find how well they mesh together.
Age almost doesn’t matter when considering how great this record ends up being. For those who just want a good straightforward record, it’s perfect. Nothing has been compromised with Doe and Cervenka still doing their thing loud and fast. They’ll probably be in a nursing home and still making music that feels essential and youthful. It’s something that will always make them endearing, and what makes them important in times like these. They have been through the wringer, and even that’s not enough to break their spirits. They may still be desperate, but we’re still not used to it. Let’s hope it stays that way.
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