Altar Eagles' Skeletal starts with a heavy bass and drum bottom. It is a foundation that is dripping with cool and then the hooky almost circular guitar line pulls you in further. This intoxicating mix isn't what ultimately defines the track, it is Erik Alcock's voice and snarling melody. It is decidedly more poppy then, let's say, experimental but the interweaving production is masterful. By the end it is a heady swirling production of synths, climbing bass lines with a kind of emotional-indie rock vibe. Great seductive tune brought to you by I Can't Wait For Summer.
Now based out of L.A. Alcock's musical journey started in his native Toronto, Canada where he miraculously landed a job with EMI Canada at 17 years old. Quitting school to be in the biz he has hit those low spots and incredible highs. A section from his bio:
Upon turning pro, young Erik dropped out of school and got kicked out of his house. For the next two years, he lived like a refugee in a room in a jam space with a bathroom down the hall, surviving on a steady diet of drugs and rice and beans--mostly drugs. While the experience was not all that conducive to his songwriting, Erik was able to develop his chops by playing with all kinds of musicians, since he was always in the space.
His quality of life improved substantially when he joined a band and spent the next few years living like a vagabond on tour constantly. A serendipitous encounter occurred following a show, when Erik's partner in the songwriting team, The New Royales, Grammy winning Producer DJ Khalil had asked Erik if he had ever considered writing hooks for other artists. He did so and has credits with the likes of Eminem, Kanye West, Pink and a host of others, which led to having the theme for Mission Impossible 4, the Call of Duty video game, and Jake Gyllenhall's movie "Southpaw."
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Robb Donker
