Michael Hatchett
A&E Editor
On Tuesday, Sept. 23, British indie quartet alt-J released their second album, This is All Yours. With this eclectic new music offering, alt-J has successfully eliminated any possibility of a sophomore slump.
The band first gained buzz back in 2012 with their debut album, An Awesome Wave. The album received rave reviews from writers and fans alike. British music magazine NME wrote that “in refusing to submit to the rigors of a genre, they might just have made themselves masters of their own.” BBC Music states that alt-J’s debut album was an “entirely comprehensive and accessible collection of beautiful pop songs.” Its lead single, “Breezeblocks,” jumped to number six on the UK Indie Chart. Its follow-up single, “Tessellate,” reached the same position and was covered by artists like Ellie Goulding and Mumford & Sons. Needless to say, alt-J’s second album has a lot to live up to. Those that gave negative reviews to the band’s first album cited repetitiveness, stating, like The AV Club’s review, that while the album starts well, it “retreats into an ocean of sameness.” With their second album, alt-J succeeds by avoiding any sense of monotony.
The band has propelled itself forward by constantly changing its style and refusing to be tied down to any sort of formula. This is All Yours is a bizarre amalgam of songs that vary in style, length, lyrical content and instrumentation. It’s all over the place but in the best way possible. It’s part folk, part indie, part electronic, part pop. The album’s instrumental elements go beyond bass, drums, guitars and keyboards to include bells, birdsong, whistles, flutes, an oddly-placed Miley Cyrus vocal sample and much more. Despite the variety of elements that alt-J incorporates into their music, everything seems perfectly constructed. The band throws a lot at their listener, but you never feel assaulted or overwhelmed. Every odd electric chirp or crescendo of percussion exists for a reason, and nothing feels out of place.
The ambitious album begins with sampled a capella vocalizing, then slowly throws in electronic keyboard. Eventually percussion is added as frontman Joe Newman begins singing lines directly borrowed from Wu-Tang Clan in his signature cartoonish wail. As the album moves on, the band jumps from songs with more straight-forward, steady rock elements like “Left Hand Free” to grooving, slower experimental rock as seen in “Hunger of the Pine” which features the aforementioned Miley Cyrus sample, lyrics sung in French, a choir and horns straight out of Kanye West’s “Blood on the Leaves.”
It’s important to say that while alt-J manages to make their strangeness charming and accessible, their sound might not be for everybody. That being said, even if you aren’t one for alternative rock or indie pop, there’s probably something in the album that you’ll enjoy. I’m not saying go to Wal-Mart and buy it immediately, but give it a listen on Spotify and see if you can get down with alt-J’s freaky, fun, curious sound.