Orion/ X Ambassadors - alternative rock

By Narendra Kusnur 

Album: Orion
Artiste: X Ambassadors
Genre: Alternative rock
Label: Interscope
Rating: ***

After releasing its well-received debut album VHS in 2015, New York band X Ambassadors seemed lost in direction. It cancelled its proposed follow-up Joyful last year, as frontman Sam Harris felt the songs weren’t up to the mark.

Though guitarist Noah Feldshuh quit in the interim, the group finally released its second album Orion last month. Inspired by 1990s alternative rock, X Ambassadors has focused on short, tight numbers, with only one of the 10 exceeding four minutes.

To be fair, there isn’t a bad song here. The lyrics are simple and clean, the angst is easy to identify with and vocalist Harris has a pleasant timbre and good tonal variation. Many tunes are radio-friendly too. However, a lot of stuff is the kind you’d listen to a few times before skipping to something else.

The opener ‘Hey Child’ has catchy whistles and tight rhythm guitar, an instrument that’s used consistently throughout. Sing along to the chorus, “Hey child, hey child, we were born wild, let your neon lights, keep shining bright.”

‘Confidence’ is embellished by the vocals of guest K. Flay, and ‘Quicksand’ is marked by smooth harmonies. ‘Wasteland’ has been superbly arranged and ‘History’ has a supple acoustic guitar, viola and cello back-up. ‘Boom’ is perhaps the most mass-friendly number here, perfect for radio and concerts.

Significantly, Harris is marvellous on the ballads. His range is evident on ‘I Don't Know How To Pray’ and ‘Rule’, where he sings, “I'm balanced on the brink of insanity, I’m walking the line between life and fantasy, I, I need to get rid of all these ghosts.” The album ends with the teen-oriented love song ‘Hold You Down’, where Harris sings, “We'll be the last ones dancing when the lights go out, when there’s no one to hold you, I’ll still hold you down.”

Assisted by his brother, blind keyboardist Casey, and drummer Adam Levin (not to be confused with the Maroon 5 star), Harris comes up with a likeable follow-up album. The only hitch is that Orion probably lacks long-term appeal. Enjoy the moments till they last.