Alexander McKenzie is the embodiment of contradiction; there's a need for stability that exists alongside a desire to explore the unknown. She left her home country at age 20 to discover Europe, but she often longs for the vast emptiness of her native Canada. Strangely, it wasn't the endless quietude of the Canadian prairies that cultivated her songwriting, but rather the noisy traffic of Holland that awakened this late bloomer's burgeoning creativity, together with her band, the Underpaid.
The volume of positivity on Alexander's new album Ambivalence (to be released in the fall of 2012) had been turned up, but the melancholy still lurks in the dark corners of her songs. Portraits of lost love, sorrow, doubt, weakness and strength grab you by the throat and don't let go. Poignant melancholy and nostalgic cynicism, translated by stirring vocals and a dynamic instrumental sound: Together with her band, the Underpaid, Alexander McKenzie is on a quest to discover the perfect alloy of misery and joy. This journey has been documented by the recordings: Ribcage Versus Unguided Missile, EP1 and now Ambivalence as well as numerous concerts throughout the Netherlands and Germany. Visit her online here and read the Event Details to watch a video.
