Miami Memory

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Miami Memory
Studio album by
Alex Cameron
Released13 September 2019
Genre
Length38:39
LabelSecretly Canadian
ProducerJonathan Rado
Alex Cameron chronology
Forced Witness
(2017) 		Miami Memory
(2019) 		Oxy Music
(2022)

Miami Memory is the third studio album by Australian musician Alex Cameron, released by record label Secretly Canadian on 13 September 2019.[3] Cameron announced the album on 18 June 2019 by releasing the song "Divorce".[4] It was produced by Jonathan Rado of indie rock duo Foxygen, and continues Cameron's style of storytelling from the perspectives of different characters.[5] Largely influenced by Cameron's relationship with actress Jemima Kirke, Miami Memory received generally favorable reviews from critics.[6]

Music and lyrics[edit]

"Miami Memory is the story of a couple balancing sex with contemporary family values...It's my gift to my girlfriend, a symbol to hoist on the totem of love."

—Alex Cameron[7]

Miami Memory is defined by Cameron's high-concept songs that tell the stories of different characters in challenging life scenarios, such as sex workers or stepparents. Reviewers noted that unlike his previous two albums, the songs on Miami Memory touch on positive aspects of the characters, as opposed to only satirizing negative elements.[8] Cameron has said that this change is because of his romantic relationship with actress Jemima Kirke.[7]

Lyrically, reviewers have noted similarities to Father John Misty and Randy Newman. "Far from Born Again" is a song that highlights and normalizes the challenges of sex workers. Its music video includes real sex workers who explain their careers. On "Gaslight", Cameron sings about an unhealthy relationship with a manipulative partner. "End is Nigh" is about an alcoholic struggling at twelve-step meetings. "Stepdad" is about a mediocre stepfather explaining why he is leaving his stepson's life.[9][10][11][12][13]

Musically, the album has a 1980s sound, characterized by Synthesizers, saxophone, and anthemic choruses. Parts of the album sound orchestral and have elements of disco, usually with upbeat melodies. Critics have mentioned the music on the album sounding similar to Steely Dan, Bruce Springsteen, and Brandon Flowers.[10][12]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
PopMatters[10]
NME[3]
Exclaim!8/10[11]
FLOOD Magazine7/10[14]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[1]
The Skinny[2]
Loud and Quiet8/10[15]
Paste8/10[16]
Pitchfork6.0/10[13]

On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, Miami Memory has an average score of 74 based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]

While GQ's Colin Groundwater said that "Miami Memory is an unabashed love record that explores relationships at their most sentimental moments and their wildest extremes", Anna Gaca of Pitchfork said it is "more outrageous than romantic". Writing for Exclaim!, Luke Pearson said that Miami Memory is not as good as Cameron's previous release, Forced Witness, but that it is a "mature and surprisingly au courant album that grapples with complex social issues in a commendably fearless way."[8][13][11]

Describing the lyrics, Christopher Laird of PopMatters complimented Cameron on increasing the nuance of his characters, saying, "He's still occupying the same world of people on the fringe of society. But now he seems invested in humanizing what's good in these characters and demonizing what's bad." Writing for Uproxx, Philip Cosores called Miami Memory "a lyrical miracle", saying that "it's all remarkably even-handed and clear-eyed, with Cameron not shying away from being provocative, while proving more than capable with tacking treacherous subjects with surprising grace."[10][12]

Describing the music, Gaca wrote that "Miami Memory feels like a stuffy reheat of Forced Witness’ groovy ’80s synth-rock". Cosores mentioned that "the sonic manifestation of the songs...might put listeners on guard", referring to elements like "oppressive foghorn keyboard blasts".

Several critics discussed the way that the album addresses women, with Flood Magazine's Lydia Pudzianowski saying that Cameron "is using his third record, Miami Memory, to spotlight and elevate women". Cosores complimented Cameron on this effort, saying that with the song "Far From Born Again", Cameron "seeks to take independent sex work out of the shadows". El Hunt of NME asked rhetorically, "what does Alex Cameron's irony steeped parody of toxic masculinity add to the discussion, beyond demonstrating that he's got some self-awareness?" Hunt added that "women inadvertently feel like the butt of the joke here". On this same topic, Gaca wrote that while the album raises gender issues, it "never reaches in to explore that tension".[14][3]

Accolades[edit]

Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Slant Magazine Top 25 Albums of 2019 9 [17]
Under the Radar Top 100 Albums of 2019 76 [18]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Stepdad"4:15
2."Miami Memory"4:25
3."Far from Born Again"4:16
4."Gaslight"4:25
5."Bad for the Boys"4:38
6."End Is Nigh"3:04
7."PC with Me"2:33
8."Divorce"3:12
9."Other Ladies"3:45
10."Too Far"4:06
Total length:38:39

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 94

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Hamilton-Peach, Christopher (12 September 2019). "Miami Memory is Alex Cameron's most confessional record yet". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b Creely, Joe (12 September 2019). "Alex Cameron album review: Miami Memory – The Skinny". The Skinny. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Hunt, El (13 September 2019). "Alex Cameron – 'Miami Memory' Review". NME. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  4. ^ Minsker, Evan (18 June 2019). "Alex Cameron Announces New Album Miami Memory, Shares New Song "Divorce": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  5. ^ Phares, Heather. "Alex Cameron – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  6. ^ a b c "Miami Memory by Alex Cameron". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Alex Cameron Releases 'Miami Memory'". Secretly Canadian. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  8. ^ a b Groundwater, Colin (11 September 2019). "Australian Singer Alex Cameron Wrestles with Sex, Family, and Masculinity on the Stellar 'Miami Memory'". GQ. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  9. ^ a b Thomas, Fred. Miami Memory – Alex Cameron at AllMusic. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d Laird, Christopher (12 September 2019). "Alex Cameron Is the Good Guy on 'Miami Memory'". PopMatters. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  11. ^ a b c Pearson, Luke (11 September 2019). "Alex Cameron – Miami Memory". Exclaim!. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  12. ^ a b c Cosores, Philip (11 September 2019). "Alex Cameron Performs Lyrical Miracles On His Excellent New Album, 'Miami Memory'". Uproxx. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  13. ^ a b c Gaca, Anna (26 September 2019). "Alex Cameron – Miami Memory". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  14. ^ a b Pudzianowski, Lydia (13 September 2019). "Alex Cameron, "Miami Memory"". FLOOD Magazine. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  15. ^ Stubbs, Stuart (9 September 2019). "Alex Cameron – Miami Memory – Album review – Loud and Quiet". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  16. ^ Black, Annie (23 September 2019). "Alex Cameron is Shamelessly in Love on Miami Memory". Paste. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  17. ^ "The 25 Best Albums of 2019". Slant Magazine. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  18. ^ Redfern, Mark (31 December 2019). "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2019". Under the Radar. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  19. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #543". auspOp. 21 September 2019. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
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