Alien Of Nature is an introspective alt/rock singer-songwriter based in Phoenix, Arizona. Today, he released his reflective rock track, 'Only Knew Love,' from his forthcoming album, Fungabee Falls. We caught up with Alien Of Nature to learn what five songs most inspire his sound.
1. The Beatles - Rain
'Rain' was the first song I ever learned to play on guitar. It's an underrated song from The Beatles if I could even say that (Do they have an underrated song?). My parents are hippies at heart, and The Beatles were always on when I was a kid. Interestingly enough, it was not the guitar that drew me in. It was the rhythm section of McCartney and Ringo. The bass playing is so amazing, and the drums are equally fantastic. It's hard to comprehend The Beatles' influence on pop music, and I know it's cliche, but it's so true. Amazing singing, songwriting, lyrics, and psychedelia smashed into a 3-minute song that personified the time period perfectly.
2. Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer
My eldest sister is quite the music enthusiast. She introduced me to a lot of music growing up that I'm not sure I would have found without her, and one of those musicians was Peter Gabriel. I didn't know much about Peter Gabriel's catalog, and I wouldn't say Gabriel was a huge influence of me. However, when my sister showed me this video, all that changed. First off, the song is great; definitely some sexual undertones going on lyrically in 'Sledgehammer' wink wink. It flows out of Major and Minor chord patterns that really kept my attention, and the video stands alone. Claymation and stop motion animation is the source for this video. I wish they would bring this art form back. Thanks, Pixar, you jerks! I read that the video was shot and edited in just under a week, with Gabriel being filmed under a glass table for 16 hours a day. That's crazy!
3. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Walls (Circus)
I must thank my sister again; she introduced me to Tom Petty. I was well versed in his catalog at this time and loved his songwriting. His songs never seemed to be complicated and always felt like a good time to me, even if the lyrics were sad. Petty always had a knack for formatting music videos into mini-movies. His songs weren’t complicated, but the videos always seemed to take me away to some far-off fantasy life. It’s a great song, visually stunning, and underrated in my opinion.
4. Radiohead - Subterranean Homesick Alien
Now we get into my own exploration of music. I was a young teenager when this song came out, and still exploring music. I remember being on a baseball team and discussing music with a teammate. He asked me if I had heard of Radiohead, and I did but wasn’t jumping out to listen to their music. He lent me a CD of OK Computer - that’s right, I said CD! LOL! I listened to it, and I was immediately blasted off to another part of the musical galaxy. The lyrics were very relatable, and the guitar layering with the synth was so spaceshippy. I think I just made a word up - feel free to put it into the English dictionary. This video was a student made, and I thought it was done quite well.
5. DJ Shadow - Nobody Speak feat. Run The Jewels
The concept of this song and video is pure genius considering the state of the USA. Having old white men have a battle rap may be a better way to solve political conflict and elect world leaders. I mean, it can’t hurt, am I right? The beat, the guitar, the lyrics, the horns, the synthesizer, and the overall flow is very hypnotizing and gripping. I don’t play this kind of music, maybe the guitar riff, but I have mad respect for anyone who speaks their truth and represents the overall feel of a moment in time. Kudos to DJ Shadows and Run The Jewels on this one.