Punk icons X celebrated today’s 40th anniversary of their landmark debut Los Angeles by surprise-releasing Alphabetland, the band’s first album in 27 years and the first recorded by its original lineup — Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Billy Zoom and D.J. Bonebrake — in 35 years.
The 11-song album was released digitally through Bandcamp, and can be streamed in full below. The band and Fat Possum Records are working on an upcoming physical release, too.
“When your heart is broken you think every song is about that. These songs were written in the last 18 months and it blows my mind how timely they are,” Doe explains in an email to fans. “We all want our family, friends and fans to hear our records as soon as it’s finished. This time we could do that.”
The album is X’s eighth overall, and the band’s first since 1993’s Hey Zeus!, and the first to feature Zoom alongside the rest of the original lineup since 1985’s Ain’t Love Grand.
According to Doe’s email, X went into the studio in November 2018, and put down five songs in two days with producer Rob Schnaph. The band re-recorded an old X song, “Delta 88 Nightmare,” and released that as a 7-inch with “Cyrano de Berer’s Back,” one of the first songs wrote for the band that would become X.
In January of this year, the band went back into the studio with Schnapf and recorded seven more original songs to complete the tracklist for the new album Alphabetland.
You can hear the results right here:
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- ‘120 Minutes’ Rewind: Exene Cervenka talks about solo debut, X’s hiatus in 1989 interview
- ‘We are still here!’: X to celebrate band’s 40th anniversary with 32-date U.S. tour
- John Doe, Exene Cervenka releasing acoustic album, X announces West Coast tour
- X to reissue ‘The Unheard Music’ concert film on ‘Silver Anniversary’ DVD, Blu-ray
Original lineup! This is needed in these times.
I’m not buying or listening to this (or any X) album until Exene publicly apologizes for her vile, hurtful comments about Sandy Hook and other tragedies.
Not holding my breath.
Yeah, I second FM. As much as I love Don and John, no way is any of my money going to Billy or Exene, particularly not Exene’s Sandy Hook denying ass. If anything, I’ll pick it up used and then I’ll have enough left over to get a bottle of Pepsi… with which I’ll toast her. It’s the fetal tissue that gives it that zip, ya know. Bloody wingnut.
What FM and SS said.
X is my favorite band. I got see them play in Los Angeles and Denver when I was a kid…
Thanks for sending me down a rabbit hole i dearly wish i never knew about, @FM. Damn.
Yea, likewise.
I’ve only been a casual X fan over the years. You know, a few songs here and there some of which I love (“4th Of July”) and what I may have lacked in passion I made up for in great respect.
So, I didn’t know about all of this and look around online has been very enlightening, and very disappointing.
I’ve never found anything that indicates she regrets what she said which is sad. I find Sandy Hook to be on par with worst tragedies this country endured due to the victim’s involved. For her to insult their lives with BS paranoia regarding her flippin’ gun obsession and the government is vile. I consider Sandy Hook truthers to be among the lowest forms of humanity this country has to offer, she’s welcome to visit the graves of the children killed anytime she wants.
Shame too, I love Billy and Doe and hate to see them associated with her comments but they’ve never addressed it either from what I’ve seen so a dime from me whether it be via streaming or otherwise will not be coming their way.
I learned a long time ago that you sometimes have to separate the artist from the work. No more heroes.
As did I.
And I can accept a differing on opinions from the artists I listen to. But Exene is not expressing just another opinion she has dived full throttle into lies meant to belittle the parents of six year olds killed in cold blood and using those lies to bolster her political opinion, if that’s what they are. She is a moral coward.
Poor haters…they need more tissue. Can’t handle the likes of Exene and Moz (and many others) thinking for themselves and not accepting the force fed crap from the savior governments and the media. If you love establishment music, try Katy Perry, Beyonce, and other compromised “entertainers”.
Just gave the album a listen. Good stuff! A great return to my youth. Hoping the reunited band plays some east coast dates late 2020 or in 2021.
Believing that Sandy Hook was a hoax is not an example of someone “thinking for themselves” it is denying reality. It is not just another opinion. There are no “alternative facts.”
There really are objective truths in this world. Would Exene have the guts to tell the parents of a Sandy Hook victim that the cold blooded killing of their kids is a “hoax?” Would you?
While I do recall Exene making “controversial” statements, I couldn’t recall the details so I researched articles on Exene and Sandy Hook. The only articles I could find were from leftist/establishment “sources”. There was no balance in the stories and all had the same info.
The videos that she originally posted are no longer available so I couldn’t watch those either.
I don’t know her and I have no idea what her positions are based on the little info still available (nor would I speculate). From what I can tell, she called some mass shootings “fake”. I can see how that would offend people, particularly those who lost loved ones.
However, I don’t know what she means by “fake”. Does she believe the media coverage was fake? That the killers were government patsies? That everyone involved was a state actor and the incidents were orchestrated with nobody hurt (which is what it seems most in these comments believe)? Is she saying that nobody died? I don’t know…and it is irrelevant to my initial post.
I grew up and played in the DC (and Baltimore) punk scene. We questioned authority at every step, and I still do. Sources like Spin, Salon, Jezebel, Mediaite, etc., are pure establishment sites that are the exact opposite of “questioning authority” because they are the authority.
Maybe Exene is just questioning authority until she has more info…but she isn’t falling for the official narrative. Sounds punk to me.
As for the Morrissey follow-up comment, I wasn’t suggesting that Moz made comments about mass shootings, I was referring to his positions over the last few years that have tons of Smiths fan refusing to listen to the band’s music anymore because they don’t believe Morrissey should be allowed to have a different opinion that their own. Oh, the horror. I doubt Morrissey cares nor will anyone change his mind.
By the way, at one time, people who stated that the earth was round were considered conspiracy theorists. I’d rather dig for the truth than assume that Vice or Jezebel is telling the truth since they’re usually lying. There’s more than one side to a story.
For the record, Moz wrote a sentimental, heartbreaking and aching song about a specific incident about murdered children and even befriended one of the parents. I don’t know about you, but in my crazy way of thinking, that’s a helluva lot different than outright denying such an unimaginable tragedy.
This isn’t a case of differences in political opinions. This a specific act of adding insult to injury to a group of grieving parents with complete BS regarding guns. In most cases I can do what you advocate but this is a bit different. Your entitled to your paranoid opinion but don’t compare this the serious nature of Sandy Hook to the typical ramblings going on in politics right now. Piss off and find another group of people to vilify in defense of yours and Exene’s BS lies other than the parents of dead children.
for those keeping score:
Exene – paranoid, delusional fucktard
New Album – pretty damn good
From the Wikipedia:
“Cervenka, as a self-styled “conspiracy therapist,” has provoked controversy on social media and on YouTube, under the name “Christine Notmyrealname,” by advancing conspiracy theories including the view that the Isla Vista shootings were a hoax designed to bring about stricter gun control laws. After the backlash, she has issued an apology on her Facebook and Twitter accounts and her conspiracy related YouTube videos are no longer available for viewing.[22][23][24]”
This rocks!
Exene’s comments: who cares.
Grow up, Pussies
Wasper wins this comment section.
The moral projectionism put forth by those who haven’t a clue about any of these events other than what they’ve been fed is astounding. Attempts to fetch dopamine kudos by signalling their moral superiority reeks of a neutered, yet, desperate projection.
Summing up –
Musician’s opinion: Who cares!
New X record: pretty damn good!