Alex Giannascoli–also known as “Alex G” or “Sandyalexg”–is an artist who has been a part of the music scene for the majority of his life, dating all the way back to his teenage years. Since then, he has officially released nine studio albums. One of which is titled “DSU,” an acronym short for Dream State University. This indie rock record was released on June 17, 2014 when Giannascoli was around age 21. After its release, it gained enough traction to be featured on the Best Albums of 2014 lists on the Washington Post and Vogue. The total length results in 37 minutes with a number of 15 tracks. The 14th and 15th tracks, “Soaker” and “Waiting For You,” were added in a re-release of the album in 2016. The following explores some of the themes and musical choices in highlighted songs off the record.
After Ur Gone
This opening track begins with a single guitar note being strummed repeatedly, which continues through the entire song. The lyrics also connect to this repetition as the same five lines are spoken over and over: “After you’re gone / How can we tell them / you’re gone? / How can we show them / You’re gone?” It’s a short song that illustrates the feeling of grief and loss. The speaker repeats these phrases as if they have not fully accepted that their person is gone, indirectly talking about themselves. At the end of the track, the electric guitars turn into high-pitched screeching as all the instruments fade into silence. This could represent the moment where the weight of reality crashes onto the speaker, with the intense pitch resembling a meltdown or mental break.
Serpent Is Lord
The beginning of this track is positively welcomed with a more light sound, due to the presence of an acoustic guitar and a simple piano melody. This flowy mood changes abruptly once the lyrics begin and the drums, bass guitar and electric guitar are introduced. These instruments evoke an uneasiness that contrasts with the previous state the listeners were carried into. The high pitch of the electric guitar also makes a return during this musical tone switch, which creates a sense of tension. Once verse 1 has ended, the instruments return to the piano and acoustic harmony before changing again when verse 2 begins. The theme of this track is of one sacrificing themselves for another. The narrator here sees a boy that they care for suffering, and in turn spills their own blood for him in an attempt to help, “Open / Sideways / Spill mine / Spill mine.” Each line in both verses only contains one or two words. Each word is also said robotically with little emotion, almost like a sort of ritual. Altogether this song explores the craft of utilizing different instruments and sounds to give different emotions, while also keeping accuracy to the story behind the lyrics.
Harvey
One of my personal favorites of the album; Harvey carries a heavy nostalgic and upbeat melody with the tone of childhood written all over it. Mainly caused from the use of an acoustic and an unidentifiable instrument that sounds kind of like a wind chime–or maybe a flute? Those chimes appear throughout the song in a back and forth pattern, giving off a playful sound. A woman’s vocals, done by Emily Yacina, are also added to the background which further contributes to this child-like feeling the song exudes. The meaning behind the lyrics of this track is quite controversial in the Alex G fanbase, as many have different opinions as to who this character, Harvey, is supposed to be. A lot of people believe that Harvey is a dog but Giannascoli has debunked that himself in an interview. So, this song is wildly up for interpretation and I personally believe this song is about chasing or accepting the younger version of oneself. The song frequently mentions the narrator wanting to prove themselves and expressing their love for winning, which is the complete opposite to Harvey who has no knowledge of such things and is still rooted to his childish nature. The speaker is envious of that, yet holds no resentment but instead love: “I love you, Harvey, I don’t care.” This shows the acceptance the speaker has toward their past self. There is also a direct visual of the speaker playfully chasing Harvey through their house, “I’ll chase Harvey through the door in the wall / He says, ‘never catch me, never miss me at all’.” Another interpretation of this song I’ve seen is of Harvey being the disabled brother to the narrator, who the narrator still loves and accepts despite the judgement of society. I also like that different meaning because of how sweet and pure it is.
Black Hair
“Black Hair” deals with an estranged relationship between the singer and the subject, referred to only by their hair color. The start of the song opens with the loud and pitchy sounds of an electric guitar, setting the tension for the remainder of the song. The choice of naming the opposing character as “black hair” demonstrates how the speaker cannot stop thinking about them, by highlighting a specific feature about them. Black hair is beginning to separate themselves from the singer, which leaves the singer begging for them to stay. In the first verse, it displays a phone conversation between the two, where the singer expresses their love only for black hair to hang up. During this section of the song, Giannascoli’s voice becomes quieter and a bit shaky while a higher voice subtly sings alongside him. This obviously mirrors the narrator’s emotions while on the phone call, but also resembles how black hair is fading out of the singer’s life.
Axesteel
This track catches the listener off-guard with an immediate scream accompanied with repetitive, single-note guitar strums and slow tempo drums. The scream stutters and echos in with the instruments before yet another guitar squeal is introduced. Except this time there are multiple that overlap each other to create this painful, yet beautiful melody of pinch harmonics. The screeching ends abruptly with the continuation of more singular notes of an electric guitar, and another brief scream that choppily fades into the gritty mix of sounds. The song ends with more emphasis on a guitar melody that eliminates the heavy rock influence from before. There is no true meaning behind this song as there is to the others. Giannascoli had said that he dreamt of being in a band that played a song with a similar scream at the start, so he decided to recreate it into reality. This song is another one of my favorites just from its unique sounds, which makes it stand out from the rest of the album. I also enjoy how the scream compliments well with the flow of the track without feeling too random or unnecessary. Some fans believe this song to be about the video game, Minecraft, because of the lyrics: “This is the reason I play for you / This is my pick-axe,” which I find quite funny.
Sorry
This track is one of the more sadder songs on the album, purely based off of the instrumental. An acoustic guitar is chosen for the main tune rather than electric, adding an intimate and melancholic sound to the entire piece. The percussion has a steady rhythm, and another instrument that is hard to identify–but sounds like a synth–contributes a descending melody that deepens the sad atmosphere established in the song. Plus, it is awfully nice to hum along to. When deciphering the lyrics, I believe the story here is of a person who falls into a drug addiction and feels remorseful toward his past-self for the future destruction they caused. The beginning lines state: “I’ll get my cure / Wait in the car / I won’t remember / Who you are” The lyrics allude to how dependent the singer is on drugs that they consider it a “cure. ”In their intoxicated state, they forget about everything including the healthier, or perhaps happier, version of who they once were. “Could you forgive me / For that pain?” The singer experiences sorrow for the lost version of themselves they killed, in a way, and can now only apologize over such tragedy. Giannascoli sings the lyrics in deeper notes through the entire song, particularly in the ending words of each line which contribute to the track’s depressive nature.
Hollow
An acoustic melody is immediately introduced as the drums fade in with a feathering technique on the tambourines. Then, bright strums of an electric guitar play as the first verse starts. This track is similar to “Serpent Is Lord” in how they both have moments in the song where there is great tension, and moments where it feels free and whimsical. Those areas of strain are emphasized with the prolonged squeal of letting a guitar note naturally fade out after plucking the string, which builds up to a burst of another light riff complimented with what sounds like wind chimes. The mellow bass in this song is the cherry on top for bringing each element together. Similarly to the previous track “Black Hair,” the singer here is pleading for their partner to stay as they feel hollow without them. “Swallow this- / You made a big / Mistake / Go away.” In these lines the guitars turn harsh and scratchy, aligning with the singer’s broken reaction toward their partner’s departure.
Soaker
This bonus track can be interpreted as a song about unrequited love. The singer expresses a desire to know another person more intimately, but their advances are not equally met or ignored. “All I want to do is get a little bit closer to you / But you, you’re like glue / I’m like water and you’re like glue / and all I ever do is soak through you.” This metaphor can be better understood by how glue is a solvent-based adhesive, which water tends to easily slide through. The only present instrument is an acoustic guitar being strummed repeatedly in the background. This could illustrate how the singer is continuously wanting this other person, despite their disinterest.
Waiting For You
This final track of the album is a complete instrumental and longest instrumental of Alex G’s discography. There is a distinct musical difference in this song compared to the rest of the album, due to the heavy jazz influence. A piano is played as the main melody throughout the song, along with a classic saxophone and light percussion. This track rings true to its title, as it does portray the feeling of waiting, particularly in a cozy cafe. It may be from the pessimistic and deep nature of the entire album, but this song also seems bittersweet to me, as though what I am waiting for is not positive, or perhaps it’s uncertain to the imagined version of myself I picture while listening to this track.
DSU is one of my favorite albums from Alex G’s entire discography. I feel that it is the album that most captures that nostalgic and whimsical sound that I love about his music. The dreamy ambiance and exploration of dark themes are more elements of this record that I thoroughly enjoy. With DSU being Giannascoli’s fourth studio album, the growth in instrumentation and experimentation is clearly shown.
