Album Review: Alt-J (∆) - An Awesome Wave

Alt-J (∆)
An Awesome Wave
Rating: Woof Daddy

With their name taken from the function used to create a triangle symbol on a Mac computer, four-piece Cambridge quartet Alt-J obviously have no intention to color between the lines. Drawing comparisons from everyone from Radiohead to The xx, to Foals, and snarkily categorizing their sound as "folk-step," Alt-J are restlessly inventive, combining stark guitar-led numbers with subtle electronics and samples, all anchored by singer Joe Newman's gravelly croon. Upon reading the almost endlessly glowing reviews from the UK press about their debut album An Awesome Wave, I was a bit concerned that the hype was more than the music could bear. In this case, the hype is, for the most part, warranted. An Awesome Wave is a solid, and at times brilliant debut that always seems to be one step ahead of one's expectations.

Sharing the same title and same purpose as the lead track on The xx's eponymous debut, "Intro" leads off things as a road map and primer to the band's purpose and aesthetic. Keyboards lead into atmospheric washes of guitar and clanking/clattering percussion which borders on the edge between real and programmed. Newman's voice enters the mix amid buzzing bass synth, intoning impressionistic lyrics until voice samples take the song into the swirling bridge of swooning electronics and treated guitars.



Of course, this road map is not really understood until listening to the album as whole, as the mood established by "Intro" is subverted a bit by "(Ripe and Ruin)," an A cappella track akin to a monks' chant, which takes you into a different place mentally. The gorgeous melding of voices cleanses the palate before heading full rush into "Tessellate," the lumbering, percussion clanking/piano heavy track which views relationships in a predatory manner, Newman singing "Bite chunks out of me/You're a shark and I'm swimming:"



Which seems to be a consistent theme throughout the record, with love never being simple, and sometimes being cruel and possessive. "Breezeblocks" particularly views love obsessively and darkly, the narrator's lover seen as a possession to keep under control, "She may contain the urge to run away/But hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks." With Newman later hysterically singing "Please don’t go please don’t go/I love you so I love you so/Please break my heart."



Throughout the record, Radiohead becomes an obvious touchstone, Alt-J flitting comfortably between more traditional instrumentation and electronic experimentation. While Radiohead can sometimes come off as needlessly obtuse and somewhat cold, Alt-J always keep their tracks firmly grounded in warmth and humanity. While keeping a fairly minimal basis to work from, An Awesome Wave never feels staid or predictable. Just when you think you have figured out what Alt-J is going to do next, they change things up again. From the Middle Eastern textural flourishes on "Taro,"



the gentle interplay between guitars and skittering percussion on "Something Good,"



the delicate flow of "Matilda,"



to the vocal gymnastics and buzzy industrial clomp of "Fitzpleasure," which fades in and out with lush. ambient interludes.



Although their are some experimental tendencies on An Awesome Wave, the album is far from being a "difficult" record. There are moments of unique beauty on the record. "Bloodflood" is a gorgeous mid-tempo track, building off of rising guitars, stately keyboards, and vocal samples. Newman's voice, subtle and still, recounting those moments of falling in love: "A wave, an awesome wave, that rushes skin and widens in blooded veins."



"Ms." is a delicate hymn of choir-like vocals and lilting instrumentation.



Like the aforementioned connection with The xx, the amazing thing about An Awesome Wave is how fully formed it comes. Many bands go through their whole career not coming anywhere close to such a realization of their sound. And, based on the entire collection of tracks, the band is not comfortable with staying hemmed in by particulars, always pushing their music into different directions, which bodes well for their future. I'm excited to see where this band goes. If this album is any indication, it is going to be somewhere amazing.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.