Alphanaut

Acoustic performances of 'Think To Much' and 'Unnecessary Soldier'. - CBS Morning News

Mark Alan has spent years refining his smooth-tongued vocal elegance that dominates the approach to everything that he, as Alphanaut, has done. When you listen to Alan’s prowess, you cannot help but place him among the great crooners of the late 20th Century: Roddy Frame, Bryan Ferry, David Bowie. One of his breakthroughs as Alphanaut was his cover of “Life on Mars.” The rendition took off through the Internet universe and gave many of us a first taste into how Alan weaved electronics to accentuate his vocal work, all while paying homage to one of his favorite rock stars. A musician who started in the Seattle pre-grunge scene to various Los Angeles rock bands, 2016 is the year Alan has done something unique to his music career, he made the best pop album he can. - Selective Memory

Alphanaut was conceived as a musical collective by Los Angeles-based songwriter Mark Alan, coordinating the talents of a wide variety of musician friends and acquaintances. Like a cross between OMD, David Bowie, and modern electro pop, the opener “Think Too Much” has a great hook in the chorus.

If you’d like a slow disco groove “Electricity” plays a lot like George Michael without the crooning. Lots of nice retro synth experimentation here (not something I normally listen to) but “Is This My Country?” is a standout. Similar to The Art of Noise, its subtle and keeps you hooked. Also recommended are “The Catalyst” and “Father’s Day.” - Power-Pop-Aholic

Mark Alan, aka Alphanaut, aka has just recorded his own distinctive version of the John Lennon classic “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” as a single only release for the holidays. - Huffington Post

Musical collective Alphanaut, the brainchild of Los Angeles-based songwriter Mark Alan, thinks maybe, just maybe. The group has released a cover of the John Lennon Christmas classic, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." Alan says he "was always a big fan of John Lennon and this song."

The song is structured similarly, with jingle bells and that soaring, hopeful chorus, but Alan brings an earthiness to it, with musky vocals and an organic-sounding synth score. Alan says he "wanted to do my best to pay honor to the original arrangement and vocals, but still try to make it my own."

It's the 4th song released by the collective in advance of the release of its new record, Meanwhile Back on Earth, which arrives January 1st, 2016. - Artist Direct

Being set in a trance is nothing to be surprised by when listening to music. It happens more often than not and that’s all I can say about Alphanaut’s latest single “Unnecessary Soldier.” When I hear something is pulling from electronic and pop, I expect this upbeat music that transports me to a rave setting. Nevertheless, I was wrong because instead Alphanaut gave me the mature raver. The club kid who’s grown up a bit and doesn’t stay out until 4am…all the time, but rather the one who can sit at home and really appreciate the sounds escaping their stereo. “Unnecessary Soldier” plays with a sense of surrealism.

Each line layered over the last like a dream, capturing every ounce of the listener’s attention until they’re in a musical daze. It’s no surprise though as Alphanaut’s leading man, Mark Alan, is a musician’s man – pulling from modern electronic tendencies that made David Bowie the mainstay he is today. It’s about finding the balance between the club and the charts; electronic and pop. Alan’s found it and he’s bound to continue to make waves in this world because of it. He can go either way; making club goers smile as well as being the soundtrack to a nice, chill night at home.

Keep busy with “Unnecessary Soldier” while you wait for Alphanaut’s upcoming album, Meanwhile Back on Earth. - Coming Up Magazine

“I heard ‘Electricity’ when I met Fox back in 2008 when we began working together on The Lunar Age and Out of Orbit, and immediately fell in love with it. I knew I had to cover the song, but it never had the right home until I began writing Meanwhile Back on Earth. We played around with several different directions for ‘Electricity,’ all of which I hope to release at some point, but finally settled on the ’90s inspired neo-soul groove for the album.

During the recording sessions I was lucky enough to meet vocalist Angie Whitney who recorded with The Spinners. She brought in that beautifully silky voice of hers, which really elevated the track to a whole new level.

For the ‘Electricity’ music video, I wanted to create something very, very small, opposite to the epic nature of my previous visuals. Through the ‘magic’ of Craigslist I found Mike Nowaczyk, a film maker in Los Angeles. He was working with a lot of highly experimental concepts which I really gravitated to.

The final direction for the video involves a liquid substance called Ferrofluid, which when magnetized becomes solid and alien looking. The result is a very simple tale of attraction told with two of these little blobs moving around a brilliantly colorful world made from wet paint”.
—Mark Alan, Alphanaut

Alphanaut channels new wave Bowie in “Electricity.”

We have the pleasure of premiering the video from Los Angeles-based songwriter Mark Alan’s forthcoming album Meanwhile Back on Earth. Alan has been working under the Alphanaut moniker since 2008 when he began channeling the vintage vibes of LA into modern electro-pop. The video for the single was created by Mike Nowaczyk who created the compelling visuals by mixing a little science, physics, and art.

Mike filmed a substance known as Ferrofluid which solidifies when magnetized and was intended to illustrate the laws of attraction that resonate in the song. Alphanaut’s forthcoming album, Meanwhile Back on Earth will be released in January. - The Vinyl District

The Musebox today announced the Surviving the Golden Age premiere of the captivating psychedelic video for "Think Too Much," the new single from electro-popper Alphanaut. The brainchild of Los Angeles-based songwriter Mark Alan, Alphanaut’s sound is, according to The Berkeley Place Blog, “special in that it doesn’t flow from King Crimson or Pink Floyd, but instead from Lou Reed, David Bowie, and modern electro accents.” “Think Too Much” has been synced to the in-house previews at Regal and AMC movie theaters in more than 200 cities across the United States. This is the first single from Alphanaut’s upcoming album, Meanwhile Back On Earth. More information on Alphanaut is available on the project’s official site.

According to Surviving the Golden Age, the video for “Think Too Much” features “crazy psychedelic moments that mirror the song, making it a compelling watch.” This is in large part due to 2D animator Dom Blöink, who “tapped into the whimsical and retro vibe of the song.”

Formed in 2008, Alphanaut was conceived as a musical collective with Alan coordinating the talents of a wide variety of musician friends and acquaintances. Alan has since had his work licensed in feature films and television in the U.S. and Europe. Most notable was his song “Don’t Hide Away From the Sun,” which was used during the closing credits of the film Stag Night.

Alphanaut's sophomore album, Little Sun, was a critically acclaimed concept album written from the point of view of his dog, whose passing inspired the project. Touching on everything from 80s-inspired art rock to lush orchestral works, the flexibility of Alphanaut has allowed Alan to “move freely with each album release.”

On Meanwhile Back on Earth, the Alphanaut sound morphs yet again. Featuring micro¬beats, live drums, electric guitars, and keyboards, Alan has successfully captured the finest elements of modern electro-pop. - House U

L’américain Alphanaut dévoile aujourd’hui le second single extrait de son prochain album Meanwhile Back on Earth annoncé pour le 1er Janvier 2016. Après Think Too Much, on découvre Electricity, une piste mêlant avec mélancolie électronique, alternative, pop et quelques références expérimentales donnant un résultat à la texture totalement inédite. On vous laisse découvrir le morceau ci-dessous ! - WATM Magazine

Working with a revolving cast of friends has meant that often songwriter Mark Alan has traversed a wide range of musical styles over his career under his Alphanaut moniker. He’s firmly entrenched in Synth-Pop with his latest effort, Electricity – taken from his forthcoming third album ‘Meanwhile back on Earth’.

Sounding almost quintessentially English, something of a feat for the Washington native, he’s got this sweetness, these 80’s jumper around the neck sort of sound that ran through the likes of Tears for Fears work back then. It also has the killer melody and plenty of soul (abley provided by former Spinners backing singer Angie Whitney) that soaked through the 80s, along with this rather sultry bassline.

Its a great big synth-pop sized comfort blanket, and we like it. A lot. - Backseat Mafia

Celestially inspired singer-songwriter Mark Alan has explored myriad styles of music over the past decade — prog-rock, psych-rock, ambient pop and Euro-pop among them — as he works with a rotating cast of friends under the name Alphanaut. His last album, 2012’s “Little Sun,” was a concept album written from the point of view of his dog Dingo, who died of cancer a couple of years previous. While that record contemplated Dingo’s ascent to the heavens, Alphanaut remains settles for being (more) grounded on his forthcoming third full-length, “Meanwhile Back on Earth,” which he will release on New Year’s Day. On the new song “Electricity,” he tackles neo-soul with a silky bass line and guest vocals from Angie Whitney (who, with her twin sister Rachel, were backup singers for the Spinners). - Buzzbands LA

Alphanaut is preparing to release his sophomore album, Meanwhile Back on Earth. The album’s lead single is “Think Too Much,” which you may have heard if you’ve been to a Regal Cinemas lately. The track has been synced to the in house previews at every theater. Surviving the Golden Age is pleased to premiere the video for “Think Too Much.” Produced by 2D animator Dom Blöink, the quirky video is mostly hand drawn on cardboard. With some crazy psychedelic moments that mirror the song, the “Think Too Much” video is a compelling watch. - Surviving the Golden Age