Review: Mike Alpha Xray album teasers

​‘Mike Alpha Xray’ is likely Hamilton’s biggest fan of the NATO phonetic alphabet and lover of short acrostic poems, but instead harshly describes himself in his self-deprecating press release as “Kirikiriroa’s newest and least essential recording artist”. But I’m not having it. Because Mike Alpha Xray has just released a couple of tracks as a teaser to an upcoming – and please don’t stop reading at this next phrase – ‘covers album’, to be titled ‘Protect the Drive, Give ‘em the Cut’. Why you shouldn’t stop reading there is because, 1) based on the track provided here, this album isn’t going to be full of the type of middle of the road covers you might hear blasting from bars on Hamilton’s Victoria Street at 12am, and 2) these recordings are brilliant. Here, Mike Alpha Xray covers Bitter Defeat’s ‘Pressure’, off their recent EP ‘Terrific Effort’. And it does exactly what a good cover should do; not emulate the original artist’s work, but instead makes it the coverers own. Mike Alpha Xray states the song features “two or three different synthesised pipe organs, some lyrics he definitely misheard but couldn’t be bothered fixing up, and vocal lines recorded under a couch squab while the rest of the house was asleep”. For me, I would describe it as a reimagination of ‘Pressure’ as a dark synth funeral march, with a healthy dash of keyboard lines reminiscent of those from Harry & the Potters “The Human Hosepipe’ added to the mix.

​The cover and original are provided, below:

​The second song, ‘The Water’s Still’, is an original – described in the press release as “an ill-advised attempt at creating the atmosphere of a laid-back jam session by repeatedly recording oneself doing things that one hasn’t entirely planned in advance…. It’s definitely a b-side”. But again, I’m not having it. His press release represents a failed attempt to hide his shining light under a bushel. I hope we don’t only get the future covers album from Mike Alpha Xray, but based on "The Water's Still', an album of originals also. This is great!