Alt J - "Relaxer" (2017)

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

Alt J - "An Awesome Wave" (2012)

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