Send "Lexia " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 When Alexia Rodriguez spoke about her first solo album she stated that she “… once heard someone say that the true sign of a timeless song is whether it can be taken from one format to another, like electric to acoustic, and still have it be a great song." With that statement, I envisioned an album of acoustic tracks that Alexia would be ill-equipped to do anything with. I don’t mean to imply that she lacks talent, because Eyes Set to Kill proves that she is a capable musician. It just seems to be a lot harder for artists to write stripped down songs that are still interesting – especially for artists that generally specialize in heavier music. It turns out, though, that my initial assumptions were wrong on multiple levels. First of all, Underground Sounds isn’t just Alexia and her acoustic guitar, and second, it’s actually really good.Admittedly, the sound of poppy electronics and bouncy synth was the very last thing that I expected, but opening track, “Basements,” is just that – and it’s excellent. Alexia sings beautifully over the energetic bubble-gum beat and new age synths, and her voice is more emotionally expressive than it has ever been. The next surprise is that subsequent tracks drop the bubble-gum pop in favor of dark, moody electronic pieces that creep forward providing outstanding foundations for Alexia’s vocals. These songs take chill beats and layers of melodic electronics and simply let Alexia’s voice shine. Fans of Eyes Set to Kill can refer to “Let Me In” from Broken Frames or “Come Home” from The World Outside for good examples of what to expect from her solo album. Despite offering up a few tracks to help people understand what kind of album this is, there isn’t really a single song that could truly provide a complete preview of what to expect. For example, “Over” is a solid trip-hop track, complete with a deep bass undercurrent and another excellent vocal performance from Alexia. In contrast, “Reach” is simply Alexia and her acoustic guitar covering a song that she has probably played a thousand times before – which segues perfectly into the album’s only real issue. If Underground Sounds had maintained its electronic direction for the duration of its play time it would have been near-flawless, but the last few tracks switch over to an acoustic guitar-dominated orientation that feels a bit empty after the lush music that preceded it. There’s nothing really inherently wrong with the acoustic songs, they simply feel a bit apathetic and underdeveloped after the lush arrangements of the first two-thirds of the album....full text |
| Thenewreview |
| A few months ago, within my review of Eyes Set to Kill’s newest release, Broken Frames, I grabbed my pom-poms and began hooting and hollering for the group’s voice of melodic reason, Alexia “Lexia” Rodriguez. Her praise was more than justified as she was undoubtedly the buoy and overall outstanding performer of the band, single-handedly preventing their third full length album from drowning in mediocrity. After listening to such a stellar performance, I could not help but wonder what type of success this tuneful broad would accumulate if she could somehow manage to slip away from the post-hardcore confines of Eyes Set to Kill. Astonishingly, with Lexia’s Underground Sounds, Eyes Set to Kill has permitted their greatest asset in Rodriguez to venture outside her limited domain and release an album consisting of original songs and reworked versions of her main act’s material. Fans of Alexia Rodriguez’s work in Eyes Set to Kill will be happy to learn that the content included on Underground Sounds takes her melodic sound in her main work and morphs that approach into a down-tempo, somewhat electronic collection of music. Opening with a brief, ambient introduction, the first true tune on Underground Sounds could be considered not only the most upbeat piece featured here but also a potential indicator of what Lexia could become if envisioned along with the likes of Ke$ha and Katy Perry. Those who may be experiencing the sensation of vomit crashing against the rear of their throat need to dig deep and refrain from spewing as “Basements” steers away from major keyed, air-headed cash-ins. Constructed on a snappy beat, Lexia reveals her flawless voice as a chorus as catchy as a spider web embraces your ears and attempts to hold them there for the long haul. “Basements” is the first sample of a darker, more intelligent brand of pop that Lexia has brought to the airwaves....full text |
| Blistering |
| [6/10] Five months after the release of Eyes Set To Kill’s third full-length effort Broken Frames, band front woman and principal songwriter Alexia Rodriguez has unveiled her debut solo effort Underground Sounds under her alter-ego, Lexia. Having been already familiar with Eyes Set To Kill’s past releases, I was curious to see what Rodriguez would come up with on her own, especially given that I always thought that she was one of the strengths within the group, both as a vocalist and a songwriter. But despite my high expectations, I have to admit that while some of Underground Sounds lives up to what I’ve always wanted to hear from Rodriguez, the album does have its fair share of material that simply fails to impress. After a suitably pointless instrumental introductory build up piece (which is adorned with the uninspired title of “Intro”), Rodriguez gets the album off to an unexpected lightweight pop sounding start with the first single “Basements.” Despite the heavy presence of keyboards and drum machine beats, the song is one of the album’s more memorable efforts, and one that definitely throws the listener off initially, and in a good way. Rodriguez’s take on Radiohead’s “Climbing Up The Walls” (from OK Computer) is again, something a little unexpected and different, but masterfully pulled off both in terms of her reinterpretation and her performance of the song itself, while the acoustic/piano based pair of “Still Here” and the up-tempo “Waste” allow Rodriguez’s talents to really shine. Unfortunately, the remainder of the album is a bit of a mixed bag of the obvious, the bland and the downright dreadful....full text |
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