Time to leave my recent theme with lightly dressed women and passable music. Today's theme is a really groovy album which currently is played a lot in my home, a new favorite in the collection. Alt J is a British bands and An Awesome Wave was their debut album.
I got the band recommended by a neighbour who also handed me the album (on CD) for a few weeks loan. The experience was so positive that I made sure to get the LP as a Christmas gift this year. Alt J is described as an indie rock band, or an alternative band. That might be the case, I don't really know how to sound to earn a label like that. But in any case it's music with a twist. Not least because the singer Joe Newman has a somewhat odd voice.
I hear a lot of progressive influences on the album. For example, the a capella following the intro. It is like hearing Gentle Giant in the 2010s. I really like this a cappella even though allmusic.com seems to hate it. Sometimes the music is described as art rock, but I experience that genre often as a bit more "difficult" than Alt J. Although there are many songs that are quite different from normal commercial radio songs on An Awesome Wave, they are far from difficult. Quite the opposite, I find the LP very welcoming, bright and friendly. Alt J seems to be a laid back and relaxed bunch of dudes, not difficult and depressed suicide candidates. When one enters An Awesome Wave, you enter into a nice dreamy but mostly uptempo world.
Alt J has managed the feat to create an album that is high quality and interesting throughout, and it's easy to sit and listen to it without getting bored. If Kate Bush was a man, and a member of a rock band, I think it could sound like this.
Can be mentioned that the drummer Thom Green has an 80% deafness due to a genetic desease he's suffering from. At any time he faces total deafness, I read in an interview with him. And if someone is wondering, it's the Ganges delta on the cover.
I absolutely recommend the album, both to those who only listen to the commercial radio and to those who claim they are musical connoisseurs of a higher rank. An Awesome Wave is an album I think everyone can appreciate.
Tracklist
Side A
1. Intro
2. Interlude
3. Tesselate
4. Breezeblocks
5. Interlude
6. Something Good
7. Dissolve Me
Side B
1. Matilda
2. MS
3. Fitzpleasure
4. Interlude
5. Bloodflood
6. Taro
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