The world works in strange ways. Just when you think you have what you need, the world throws you a curveball changing everything. For Alexa Rose, Hurricane Helene forced her to take a second look at what she had recording and forced her to strip back the tracks, getting back to the basics with Atmosphere, an album that reflecting the direct, basic upbringing she got in the Allegheny Highlands of western Virginia. It’s an area where music is more a way of life than a way to make a living. Her great grandfather played with Lester Flatt but decided to stay in the mountains with his wife rather than pursuing possibilities when Flatt left for Nashville.
Having worked on Atmosphere at Betty’s, a studio in the North Carolina woods, right before the hurricane washed away lives and landscapes, she began to recraft the album. Casting away the studio sheen, Rose got back to looking at things from a different perspective, “Stripping the songs down felt truer: nothing to hide behind anymore, but believing the roots are strong enough to hold.”
That sparsity serves her well. A solitary guitar recorded in a tiny cabin is all she needs for the opening track ‘Atmosphere’. Over the space of three and a half minutes the song unfolds, casting a spell along the way. As she sings, “Here I am, feet on the ground/ Watching the bright copper leaves flutter down/ Wishing I were as light as the absence of sound/ But I’m heavy now.” Standing naked and exposed she dares to try again. Which is where the magic begins. These songs are about trying to learn to live again, understanding what’s important.
Being connected to everything seems to have left people feeling less connected. As Rose explains, “For years I’ve been trying to figure out how to be more present in the moment despite the way the modern world begs us to dilute our attention.” These songs speak about trying to recapture the beauty that comes from simple solutions, ‘Arms’ revolves around the notion of finding comfort and refuge in the embrace of another.
Touching on truths both small and large, ‘Anywhere, Ohio’ offers photographs of a small town. Guitars and just a hint of strings deliver messages of people and places that feel like home even though she is far away. Between the grief and terror of modern existence there is also joy and hope. While these emotions compete for our attention, what seems to matter most finding a way to hold on to the moments where we can find our humanity all over again.
Moments of mystery matter. Finding enchantment and peace in a world where they are in short supply is the message of ‘Where the Magic Lives’, but it’s also true of the entire album. We need to run toward our dreams, rather than our machines and screens. What we need to hold is each other and that’s a message Alexa Rose makes clear on Atmosphere. There’s joy to be found in in basking in questions rather than rushing to find the answer.