Album of the Week: This is All Yours, by Alt-J
Since the release of debut album An Awesome Wave in 2012. British alt-rockers Alt-J have been critically divisive and popularly loved. This disconnect is no wonder; detractors deride the band as incoherent and derivative - an ersatz Radiohead - but the focus on Alt-J's context and legacy misses their charm.
Alt-J
Infectious
Since the release of debut album in 2012. British alt-rockers Alt-J have been critically divisive and popularly loved. This disconnect is no wonder; detractors deride the band as incoherent and derivative - an ersatz Radiohead - but the focus on Alt-J's context and legacy misses their charm.
It fails to see and hear the crisp melodies, the erotic verve and the wonky experimentation that have wooed listeners the world over; it fails to recognise the sheer pleasure of their sound. "Part of the reason [ ] is accessible is because we don't try to go out of the box or be innovative. We just try to play music we like to hear," said frontman Joe Newman.
Pitchfork ridiculed this sentiment, but there is wisdom. "Pleasure is by no means an infallible guide," said W.H. Auden, "but it is the least fallible."
Alt-J's new album, , is by no means a perfect album, but it is pleasurable. Its 14 wonderful tracks spirit us away on a wending, whimsical journey whose allusions include (but are not limited to): Japanese spiritualism, Moroccan Berber rock, Elizabethan madrigals, and American southern gothic.
