Alt-J (s) An Awesome Wave
BY EMRE BERBEROĞLU (IR/III)
Alt-J
An Awesome Wave
Release Date: May 28, 2012
Label: Infectious
Producer: Charlie Andrew
Being described as "the new Radiohead" might just be the worst thing a band can experience. Especially if that band is a newly formed one, things can get out of hand pretty easily. After releasing their debut album "An Awesome Wave" on May 28, the Cambridge-based, Leeds-formed band Alt-J (named for the keyboard shortcut to make a triangle symbol on a Mac) experienced a lot of pressure due to the Radiohead comparison. But Alt-J has managed to cope with that pressure. "An Awesome Wave" peaked at number 19 on the UK Top 20 album charts. The album's huge success brought the band a nomination for this November's Mercury Music Prize, and they're the favorites to win the £10,000.
The British indie pop quartet open their debut album with a beautiful piano song called "Intro." While Joe Newman (guitar/vocals) and Gwil Sainsbury (guitar/bass) accompany the piano chords with guitar riffs, Thom Green (drums) joins in with his on-beat snare drums.
There are three transition songs on this album ("Interlude 1," "Interlude 2" and Interlude 3"), and they're pointless. All they do is break the continuity of the album. Alt-J probably decided to use these interlude songs to smooth the transitions, but I can say that they've failed in this effort.
After that first unnecessary interlude, Alt-J welcomes us into a stunning song named "Tessellate." Although I didn't get the lyrics of this song (it could be about triangles), it has an incredibly catchy, melodic guitar riff.
"Breezeblocks" is the best song on this record. Newman starts it off by singing in his low voice, while Green and Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards) keep up with him. But in the middle of the song they decide to change direction, and suddenly Newman and Hamilton start to sing an amazing a cappella section while Green accompanies them with hip-hop-style drums.
"Dissolve Me" and "Matilda" are also highly addictive songs. "Dissolve Me" is the most upbeat track on the album. In contrast, "Matilda" is a heartbreaking love song. Alt-J concludes their debut album with an indie folk song, "Taro."
The Bottom Line: The members of Alt-J worked on "An Awesome Wave" for five years. Their hard work has paid off, although they still need to strengthen their lyric-writing abilities.
Notable Tracks: "Breezeblocks"; "Matilda"; "Fitzpleasure"; "Dissolve Me"; "Tessellate"
Band's Website: http://altjband.com/
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