It's uncommon for bands to achieve cohesiveness amidst such high levels of quirk; on their debut, Alt-J have done much better than that.
It risks feeling frustrated and frustrating, but Alt-J’s bizarre pop is ultimately rooted solidly in pathos, in a sort of blighted redemption.
Whatever alt-j were aiming for with their debut album, they have managed to prove their value as talented musicians, literary enthusiasts and imagery aficionados.
An Awesome Wave washes over its beached listeners, pleasantly cooling them for a second, then making its retreat back into an ocean of sameness.
It's both overstuffed and messy, and so overworked that what life there may once have been now exists as a kind of primordial paste.
Alt-J was formed as an Indie Rock band in 2007 by Joe Newman, Thomas Stuart (Thom Sonny) Green, Gus Unger-Hamilton, and Gwilym Sainsbury in Leeds. The band's name comes from the combinations of keys pressed to get the symbol Δ on a Mac computer. The soon-to-be band all went to university together at Leeds where the members would start recording and writing music in the university hall rooms. After graduating, the members would go on to record and write music for several months before ... read more
an amazing album by an amazing band. this album gives me a nostalgic feeling. the highlights of the album are brezeblocks, ms, matilda, intro and fitzpleasure
1 | Intro 2:37 | 86 |
2 | Interlude 1 1:12 | 77 |
3 | Tessellate 3:02 | 90 |
4 | Breezeblocks 3:47 | 91 |
5 | Interlude 2 1:17 | 78 |
6 | Something Good 3:38 | 86 |
7 | Dissolve Me 3:59 | 86 |
8 | Matilda 3:48 | 83 |
9 | Ms 3:58 | 82 |
10 | Fitzpleasure 3:39 | 88 |
11 | Interlude 3 0:53 | 74 |
12 | Bloodflood 4:09 | 87 |
13 | Taro 5:14 | 91 |
14 | Hand-Made 2:37 Hidden Track | 80 |
#2 | / | Clash |
#3 | / | Gigwise |
#5 | / | NME |
#7 | / | DIY |
#7 | / | Rough Trade |
#7 | / | The Guardian |
#8 | / | Earmilk |
#9 | / | BBC |
#9 | / | Time Out London |
#12 | / | The Fly |