Tags
Album Review, Alt-J, An Awesome Wave, bass, Breezeblocks, Fitzpleasure, Music, music videos, new music, release, rock, Something Good, synth, This is All Yours
I’ve been waiting for this moment for about a year now. Yes, I just found out Alt-J (∆) is releasing a new album on September 22 and I’m SO FREAKING EXCITED! And you know what? You should be too. A quick preview of the album shows it has all the potential to be just as great as their first. To help you get excited, let me share with you the awesomeness that is Alt-J’s debut album, An Awesome Wave.
You might actually know these guys from their song, Fitzpleasure. A snippet of this tune was on a commercial (I think for Verizon?) which amped their popularity. Or at least I think it did? I just know I started hearing that song in unexpected places. In any case, if you haven’t heard any of Alt-J’s stuff, then buddy, you’re missing out! An Awesome Wave is incredibly solid, unique, and downright enjoyable to listen to. There isn’t a single track I disliked. Even the interlude tracks are great. Hands down, it is one of my all time favorite albums. Hence, all the excitement for the new one, This is All Yours.
Real quick: In case you’re wondering about their name, the alt-j command on a Mac word doc will make a delta sign like this, ∆. If you’ve got a Mac, go ahead and give it a try. I’ll wait.
So who are these guys and why do I love them so much? Alt-J really has this truly unique and incredibly captivating sound that can be kind of hard to explain. They skillfully blend an eclectic mix of sounds into something that buzzes with intrigue. It’s got a bit of everything from strangely different vocals to semi-classical instrumentals to modern, synthy beats. In the end, you’ve got this titillating music that’s somehow both refreshingly new, yet hauntingly familiar. It’s instantly addictive; the kind of music that you obsess over. The album has an almost seamless progression between deliciously up-beat, pulsing tracks like Fitzpleasure, and ones that, for lack of a better term, are “excitingly mellow.” What’s excitingly mellow? Check out Something Good to see what I mean.
The band also puts out some pretty cool music videos. The one for Breezeblocks is my favorite and totally worth watching. It tells a story backwards, and… No, I won’t spoil it. Ok, maybe a little. See, the thing about telling a story backwards is that the information you receive at the end actually changes the beginning, and therefore, the whole story. I’m sure you can see how that’s just dripping with dramatic narrative potential. Oh, yes, and the song itself is pretty great, so that helps too. Here it is for your viewing and listening pleasure:
Are you ready to take a dive into An Awesome Wave yet? Here are a couple more tracks to get your feet wet. Come on in. the water’s great!
So, are you addicted yet? In case you missed it before, you can listen to the full album here. More importantly, now, you can join me in excited anticipation for their new album, This is All Yours. You bet your muffins, it shall be mine indeed! If the excitement is just bubbling over to the point you can’t contain it anymore, I’ll leave you with a short preview. (FYI: If you pre-order their album, you can download these tracks instantly).