Our pseudonymous reviewers take a look at The Butterbeer Experience‘s now classic album Non-Alcoholic. Two Takes newcomers Professor Caelara and T. Nigellus share their thoughts, feelings, and impressions of the wizard rock album.

Album: Non-Alcoholic
Artist: The Butterbeer Experience



Professor Caelara’s Take:
There are three amazing things about Lena Gabrielle’s musicality. Number one is how quickly she writes songs, two is how detailed her songs are (both musically and lyrically), and three is how hillarious her songs can be. No really, this album is not called Non-Alcoholic for nothing. Firewhisky cannot pull a punch like these tracks can.

If you like any Broadway or West-End musical, if you secretly enjoyed Wicked, have the Rent songbook, or just hum along to anything written by Rogers and Hammerstein, I don’t think there is any way you cannot like this album. With tracks that embod the storytelling in all great musical stories, each song is a delicious morsel.

Particular favourites are “Basically The Man” (a rhythmic ode to Neville Longbottom which will just leave you singing the chorus all day), “Right-Hand Man” (a sassy look at the love of Bellatrix LeStrange), and “Chapter 34” (which is a deeply moving masterpiece).

“Lullaby”, written in the perspective of Lily Potter for a baby Harry, is also a polished melody that captures all the feeling of a soothing mother’s voice. “Alone”, the song which introduced Lena to the world of wrock, is as intense and moving. “The Butterbeer Experience” and “Wrock Rocks” show the more gritty side to this fledgling musician.

The beauty of Non-Alcoholic is its sheer scope and scale. The album takes wrock music to a whole new realm, showing that more narrative genres can be catered to in an entertaining and engaging way. To be honest, I just fell head-over-heels in love with Non-Alcoholic and I can’t wait to see what singer-songwriter Lena has in store.



T. Nigellus’s Take:
The Butterbeer Experience’s Non-Alcoholic is one of my favorite wizard rock albums. It starts out on a great note (no pun intended, really) with the song “The Butterbeer Experience.” I think it really puts into words what so many people feel about Harry Potter and gets you excited to hear the rest of the songs. Some great highlights of the CD are the ballads “Chapter 34” and “Alone”, both wonderful, sweet, sad songs that remind you why you love wrock so much.

The album is full of great sing-along-able songs. Even those that aren’t personal favorites of mine are really fun and bouncy, like “Percy” and “Pansy’s Plea”. Aside from being an awesome person, Lena has an amazing voice that just makes you want to listen to it more. Her great piano skills are also a really cool part of the album over it’s entirety.

Another song that I love from Non-Alcoholic is “Greater Good”. It is a thoughtful, contemplative sort of song with amazing lyrics. It brings back the feelings you had when you read about Dumbledore in Deathly Hallows for the first time. Another Deathly Hallows-centric song is “All I Need Is You”, Hermione’s song to Ron inspired by the point at which he leaves she and Harry. “Basically the Man” and “Right Hand Girl” are also very strong songs, both with a classic “Butterbeer” sort of sound. Many of her songs would not sound too out of place in a musical. “Lullaby” and “Draco-is-a-death-eater Theory” are enjoyable as well. Lastly, “Wrock Rocks” ends the album on a great note. It’s another song about the wrock world and how awesome it is, and it makes you proud to be a wrock fan (or wrocker yourself!).

Overall, The Butterbeer Experience’s Non-Alcoholic is an amazing album just full of superb music. Each song has great melodies and lyrics, and any wrock fan is sure to love them. Newcomers to the genre looking for a taste of something different will be very happy with what they find as well. Lena’s songs cover a variety of topics in the series, and fandom, and are wonderful musically. This is a great CD for anyone’s collection.



Final Take: Positive