Count Hamilton, 'Gnomeboy'

(Self-released, digital)

Alex Vitzthum is fucking weird. OK, maybe I should rephrase that, as I’ve never actually met the Vermont singer-songwriter: Alex Vitzthum’s music is fucking weird. And not in a “This doesn’t sound like pop music” kind of way, but in a “Look, I listen to the Residents, and this is still weird to me” way.

Fortunately, Vitzthum is very good at making weird work. The opera-trained singer, who previously helmed indie rock acts Clam and Homeboy Aurelio, now leads Count Hamilton, a gloriously scattered jazz-fusion/synthwave/indie rock outfit featuring drummer Lucas Hamilton, Gabe Allen on bass and drums and saxophonist Max Abraham. The group’s debut album was a concept record about facial hair titled Too Many Beards. The follow-up, Gnomeboy, covers a broader array of topics in its 14 tracks, from “heartbreak to existentialism, climate change to friendship,” according to liner notes on the album’s Bandcamp page.

There’s also a mythical gnome who appears from time to time as Gnomeboy plays out. Named Mantuga (“the titular gnome of legend,” claims the band) and depicted rather heroically on the album cover, the gnome shows up ostensibly to tie a motif together, but … I don’t know, man. They keep bringing up this gnome. I honestly don’t think it means much, but don’t let that stop you from putting a lot of thought into it. The gnome is probably a red herring, which is a sentence I’ve always wanted to type. But also, maybe discount the gnome at your peril? Anyway…

Musically, Gnomeboy lurches all over the map, swaying from triumphant synth-pop grandeur (“Sunfather”) to jazz fusion (“Sunrise in Iceland”) to some sort of hybrid of indie rock and experimental drone music (“God’s Favorite Gnome”). The album makes no attempt to unite these sounds or sequence them into a flowing body of work; instead, it lobs a vast sum of musical energy and wildly unhinged creative ideas at the listener.

Between the erratic sonic palette and Vitzthum’s truly bizarre vocal delivery, Gnomeboy is the opposite of accessible. Even on a song that’s about a topic as straightforward and common in music as loneliness (“Dream of Home”), the band presents a kaleidoscope of sounds and moods, pulling on the song like a strip of rubber to the point of discomfort.

That specific zone is oddly where the record hits its stride. It takes a lot of skill and care to make a strange record work, and for all the qualities that give Gnomeboy such a clever air of weirdness, the band’s musical talent and the sophistication of their arrangements are never lost in the mix. Mastered by Rob O’Dea at Burlington’s Tank Recording Studio, the album is a tight production that treats every weird-ass sound with the necessary gravity.

Count Hamilton’s Gnomeboy is streaming now at counthamilton.bandcamp.com.