alt-J

An Awesome Wave

Website:	Official Website
Label:	Infectious
Writer:	Honch

Come on, just you admit it, the best place in the world for you to find your next favorite band has got to be the nepotistic corporate machine that is BBC Radio 1. We all love how Fearne Cotton can’t even say a single sentence without saying the words 'essentially' or 'situation', and how Scott Mills’ skin is a deeper shade of brown than most of the pre-war buildings that remain in the capital after the blitz. We all love how they force feed the youth of our nation with the illusion that they are the ‘Champions of New Music,’ even though when you send Zane Lowe a really cool song that everyone seems to love, they still won't play it, and not because they don't like it. No, it won't get played because the band name sounds vaguely similar to that of another already-popular group that they frottage with on a daily basis.

Anyway, despite my obvious cynicism towards the BBC and its buzzwords, sometimes they actually give you a proper gem. One could almost forgive Miss.Cotton for her part in the current world domination of Lana Del Grey (YAAAAAAWN), because she did after all alert me to Alt-J. The first time I heard Matilda, I was out driving in the van and whilst changing the CD I heard the fragile falsetto musings of Joe Newman; it was like it was meant to be. I hastily jotted down the time and turned off the F-Cock (or whatever she calls herself) and continued on with my day. Later that night, after I’d found out who it was I listened to the song about thirty million times on their soundcloud. This was something special, but it’s not until just recently that I have listened to the album in its entirety, and what an experience it is.

The first track ‘Intro’ is a fervent introduction to a thoroughly enjoyable piece of musical prowess, an album that keeps you guessing and has something different around each twist and turn. Never actually holding steadfast to a single genre, they seamlessly blend folk and pop structures with post-rock and neo-classical interludes, without ever feeling out of place or forced. Whether it be the barber shop style harmonies of ‘Fitzpleasure,’ the eastern feel in ‘Taro’s’ chorus the analogue bass synth of ‘Dissolve Me’ or the plinkety-plunked, glitched-up feel of ‘Tessellate’ this album has something for everyone with a penchant for the sublime. For me though, ‘Matilda’ (written about the young female lead in the film Leon) still stands out from the rest of the songs; more electric than a Tesla coil, this song is worth the price of the album alone.