The third album from one of my favorite bands, when it comes to contemporary groups. Recorded in London with Charlie Andrew as producer, who also produced their first two albums. It's a really good album, one of the few records where each song is qualitative and worth spending time on. No fillers. OK, Adeline on side B I find a little boring, but the rest of them all have their unique character and beauty.
The band offers a varied musical journey. Many songs are quite suggestive, calm and a bit dark, but sometimes they go on a more high speed travel, such as Hit Me Like That Snare, which describes quite brutal scenes at a Love Hotel. An interesting version of House Of The Rising Sun with some new verses, created by the band, is kind of a odd bird, but works well. The closing number / hymn Pleader is a great song, with a powerful arrangement that makes one associate with church choirs' descriptions of paradise and salvation. A nice end of the album, and you might find yourself considering joining the Salvation army.
The album was marketed, among other things, by a computer game created specifically for the album by Osamu Sato, based on his PlayStation game LSD from 1998. All the artwork on the record and in the marketing was taken from the game. It was made available to be played on the band's website, but I haven't tried it. My mother told me to stay away from mind expanding stuff.
So I can definitely recommend this album. Alt J is a band which creates music that is often not that simple, much of what they've done one needs to hear a few times to get to know. Sometimes they make me think of the 70's progressive bands. Alt J is usually more accessible, but they create music that can often be something of a challenge for the listener, which requires focus. Despite that, they have been successful and must be considered a rather big band. This delivers hope for today's music world and listeners.
Tracklist
Side A
1. 3WW
2. In Cold Blood
3. House Of The Rising Sun
4. Hit Me Like That Snare
Page B
1. Deadcrush
2. Adeline
3. Last Year
4. Pleader
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