No Castles No Moats $1.70

About No Castles No Moats

Alexandra's first album, No Castles No Moats, features ten original songs with impressive vocal melodies, often gorgeous and sometimes whimsical. Alexandra's voice soars through the album's landscape with ease, versatility, and authenticity. She uses a wide palette of tones to convey meaning; “Under the Bridge” showcases silky, watery tones integrated with quarter-tones and chromatics gleaned from jazz, eastern, and middle-eastern singing styles. “Tofu Song” has a straightforward folk-like delivery, and “You Won’t Be The Fool” tends toward the torch song.

Along with the vocals, the keys, played by Alexandra, are No Castles No Moats' foundation. Classical training and pop sensibility combine in piano and string arrangements that crescendo gently, as in "I've Been Wrong Before," evoke a memory of Bach in “I Want You To Be My Love,” or conjure storm clouds in "Walls," the mid-album show-stopper. A cadre of accomplished Philly musicians bring in cello, guitar, drums, and bass to many of the songs.

Imbued with themes of longing, this album explores phases of a relationship using a variety of architectural metaphors, effectively channeling complimentary amounts of vulnerability and humor. Alexandra writes, plays, and sings with spark and grace that shine through the whole album.
-by Andrea Saylor