The End: Alex Izenberg

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The End: Alex Izenberg

“I’d like to be reincarnated as a supermodel.”

Jul 31, 2020 The End By Mark Redfern and Samantha Small

To end out the week, we ask Alex Izenberg some questions about endings and death.

Izenberg’s new album, Caravan Château, came out today via Domino imprint Weird World. It is the first album for the chamber pop musician (think Harry Nilson) since his 2016 debut album, Harlequin. Caravan Château is also jam packed with notable collaborators: Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado, and Tobias Jesso Jr. collaborator Ari Balouzian.

Izenberg previously shared a statement on his new album: “I’ve been working hard on it and I’m extremely proud of these songs. It was recorded largely at Tropico Beauty with Greg Hartunian and Derek Korat with whom I’ve spent many long days and nights in the studio, retracing steps and forging new paths. Sometimes we hit walls and other times we found bliss, but those long nights were always chock-filled with lol’s. I hope my music can reach people like me who don’t have a lot of money or means and be a guiding light in their lives for good, serving as a safe haven in times of sorrow, happiness, loneliness or longing and know that I’m right there with you and always will be, even if our paths never directly cross.”

And for those that were wondering what Izenberg, who is from the Chatsworth area of the San Fernando Valley, has been up to the last four years, a previous press statement gave you the low down: “Not long after the release of Harlequin, Izenberg became emotionally unstable, beset by a failed relationship and inevitable post-debut questions about what came next. He spent the four years following its release learning to cope with and overcome fear, to turn doubt into power rather than paralysis. Having been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2012, music became a lifeline, or the lens that helps him refocus the world and make sense of his mess of feelings.”

Izenberg has eclectic taste. Give his first album Harlequin the once over and you’ll be surprised at every corner. It’s an orchestral achievement with everything from clunky piano, train horns, diluted synth, and brass solos all incorporated with a wink or two. He knows exactly what he’s doing—maybe a little too well. This is why his love of Pink Floyd as well as The Revenant soundtrack makes complete sense.

Read on as Izenberg talks about the music he’d like to soundtrack his demise, dreaming fantastically about financial stability in music, and everything else in between.

How would you like to die and what age would you like to be?

I’d like to die of heart failure when I’m 91, lol. Pablo Picasso died this way—I feel like it’d be an okay way to go.

What song would you like to be playing at your deathbed?

he soundtrack to The Revenant by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto.

What song would you like to be performed at your funeral and who would you like to sing it?

“Become Ocean” by John Luther Adams. It’s a 50 minute orchestral piece that’s really rich sounding, kind of dark and intense but also really ornate and beautiful.

What’s your favorite ending to a movie?

The Count of Monte Cristo when he finally rescues the woman and they have to manage it on the sea. Their son is safe and everything is okay.

What’s your favorite series finale, last ever episode of a TV show?

Definitely not Game of Thrones, lol. I don’t know, I don’t watch much TV.

What’s your favorite last song on an album?

“Eclipse” on Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. When you listen to Dark Side from front to back, the moment you finally get to “Eclipse” is super epic. It’s like fireworks on the 4th of July. It’s priceless.

Whose passing has most affected you?

My dog Larks. It all happened really quickly, she got sick and died very soon after. We were super close, we’d kiss and cuddle and walk around everyday, we bonded a ton. Although she’s still with me in spirit, I was pretty shaken up when she passed. She was named after the King Crimson album Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, which inspired the artwork for my new album, Caravan Château.