Alexi Murdoch has kind of stayed away from the "whole major label thing". That being said, it's not surprising that eight months after the release of his debut album "Time Without Consequence," he's hitting the road on an 18 date tour across the US, including a D.C. date February 11 at Rock and Roll Hotel. Unlike artists on a major label who tour extensively in support of their album releases, Murdoch did only a small tour of independent record shops to promote his album after it's release.
That's not to say the Glaswegian hasn't earned a place in a major label's roster. After his E.P. was championed by Nic Harcourt of KCRW in Los Angeles, his tunes could be heard on The O.C., Dawson's Creek, and most notably featured in the much beloved Garden State, although the song, "Orange Sky," was not on the hit soundtrack. But this seems to fit right in with Alexi's personality. He prefers to fly below the radar, and would prefer a small room of devout fans to a stadium.
His music blends subtly crafted lyrics with a musical style that's reminiscent of Nick Drake or early James Taylor. In an interview with The Hatchet, Alexi says he never drew inspiration from musicians because he never intended on being one. "I never really knew I wanted to do this until quite recently, I wasn't one of those kids that had posters on my wall, dreaming of going out there with a guitar." He dismisses the Nick Drake comparison, which he calls "oversimplified" and admits that he hadn't heard Drake's music until people started making the comparison with his own. But the remoteness from the superficiality of pop culture, both mentally and physically, as he grew up "way out in the boonies in Scotland" only enabled Alexi to set himself apart from other artists and bands in his music. On song like "All My Days," the first song on his album and "Orange Sky," his breakout single, the lyrics begin almost a minute into the song, and none of his songs fit the standard three-minute pop gem criteria.
That's not to say the Glaswegian hasn't earned a place in a major label's roster. After his E.P. was championed by Nic Harcourt of KCRW in Los Angeles, his tunes could be heard on The O.C., Dawson's Creek, and most notably featured in the much beloved Garden State, although the song, "Orange Sky," was not on the hit soundtrack. But this seems to fit right in with Alexi's personality. He prefers to fly below the radar, and would prefer a small room of devout fans to a stadium.
His music blends subtly crafted lyrics with a musical style that's reminiscent of Nick Drake or early James Taylor. In an interview with The Hatchet, Alexi says he never drew inspiration from musicians because he never intended on being one. "I never really knew I wanted to do this until quite recently, I wasn't one of those kids that had posters on my wall, dreaming of going out there with a guitar." He dismisses the Nick Drake comparison, which he calls "oversimplified" and admits that he hadn't heard Drake's music until people started making the comparison with his own. But the remoteness from the superficiality of pop culture, both mentally and physically, as he grew up "way out in the boonies in Scotland" only enabled Alexi to set himself apart from other artists and bands in his music. On song like "All My Days," the first song on his album and "Orange Sky," his breakout single, the lyrics begin almost a minute into the song, and none of his songs fit the standard three-minute pop gem criteria.
