Welcome to my first review ever on this blog. I started this blog with an objective in mind, find more albums that I adore. So I figured, why not start it off with my favorite album of all time.
If you don’t know me, (which you don’t because like I said, this is my first post ever.) I absolutely love Alt J, they’re my favorite band. And it’s solely because of this album, I’ve never heard anything like it before. And I don’t think I ever will. I love this album so much, that I’m actually going to get a tattoo of it.
I’ve noticed a lot more people are getting introduced to alt j, especially since they have a song that’s practically a theme song for Netflix and because of TikTok as well. But despite all of the hype/love they get, to me, for this album, they deserve a lot more.
Enough with the personal anecdotes though, let’s get into the album.
Intro starts off with ominous an ominous piano and guitar riff, that explodes after a few seconds, into this twangy melody, with distorted vocals, and loud bass, drums and synths. It’s a very interesting way to start the album, considering this will be the loudest that the band gets. Something I’m going to discuss later on, is that all of these songs could be their own singles. They’re not necessarily related to any song. They all discuss different topics and center around different topics and styles. I’m not exactly sure what this song is about, but there’s some lines that really stick with me. “Laugh at the beautiful” is one of those. You’ll notice already that the singing and songwriting is very different from a lot of rock bands. His nasally vocals remind me a lot of that one band that made Breakfast At Tiffany’s for some reason. I think it’s the cadence in which they sing. Joe Newman’s voice is incredibly unique, which is why he’s a good frontman. However, his vocals are also somewhat of an acquired taste. That is not to say that they’re lacking at all. In fact, I really enjoy his voice. And it can be absolutely beautiful in some of the songs that you’ll hear later. Intro is a really good way to start the album. The length is perfect, it’s not too long, and not too short. In conclusion, I give this song a 9.
Interlude 1, or also known as Ripe And Ruin is the only a cappella song on the album. This song is absolutely beautiful, their voices merge and come together with so much chemistry that it absolutely floors me every time I listen to this song. Again, there’s some lines that stick out here, such as, “never let me sink, always feel at home, no sticks, no shanks, and no stones.” “Like all good fruit the balance of life is in the ripe, and ruin.” It’s an amazingly crafted song. I think it perfectly merges with Intro and the next song Tessellate. While this isn’t my favorite interlude on the album, I really appreciate it for what it is. It’s not easy to do a cappella. Not at all, and the fact that it sounds so flawless is one of the reasons why I love this band. On a personal note, I took choir for 5 years, so maybe that’s why I enjoy it so much. But even alone, this song is strong. I just wish it was longer, and that’s not a complaint, it’s a compliment. I give this song a 10.
Oh Tessellate, where do I even begin with this flawless song. This is one of the best songs that I’ve ever listened to. The first time I ever listened to this song was in the beginning of 2021. We were going on vacation the day after. I shuffled my Apple Music and Tessellate began to play. I remember I really enjoyed the intro. I listened to the song probably 300 times on vacation, and even more when I got back. You’ll notice a lot of songs in this album begin with ominous piano notes, and others will begin with interesting guitar melodies. I honestly love that the song starts with the piano, and they gradually add the instruments as they go along. The piano is really striking, and stingy almost. Then it transfers to Joe Newman’s voice, and it’s very low, soft spoken, and raspy at certain points even. I love the use of onomatopoeia, the part where he sniffs is one of my favorite parts. Another part of this song I absolutely loved/still love when I listen to it, is the lyrics. The songwriting is so good here, I’d get the lyrics tattooed on me. My favorite part when I was 14 was, “Toe to toe, back to back let’s go.” I loved how his voice goes from soft, to loud when he sings that part at the end, only to go back to soft again. It reminds me of the pixies a bit, just a lot softer. My favorite lyrics now however is the second part. “Three guns, and one goes off. One’s empty, one’s not quick enough. One burn, one red, one green. Search the graves while the camera spins. Chunks of you, will seep down to seals, blubber rich in mourning. They’ll nosh you up, yes, they’ll nosh your love away, but it’s fair to say, you will still haunt me.” That’s one of the most well written verses that I’ve heard modernly. It references so much just in those lyrics. The loss of a lover, a John Wayne film, and I’m sure there’s a whole bunch more there as well that I don’t understand. I could talk about how good this song is forever. One more thing before we move onto the next, the drumming and bass in this album is phenomenal. Where Gus and Joe are the main performers, I don’t think the album would be nowhere near as good without Gwil’s powerful bass lines, and unique guitar riffs, and Thom’s amazing drumming. You can hear the smooth bass and drum lines in the back, but they’re not covered up by anything. That’s another part of what makes this album so good. 10 outta 10.
If you were on tiktok a few years back, in around late 2021, there’s a big chance you’ve heard this song in a mashup with the Glass Animals. But we’re not talking about Glass Animals, we’re talking about Alt J. This is their most popular song on the album, and for good reason. I used to be the kind of person who would listen to an album, and then hate when a music video of a song that I liked came out. In this case, I can’t even be mad, the music video came out 12 years ago. I was busy listening to One Direction and Bruno Mars. Anyways, Breezeblocks is another phenomenal track on the album. I also listened to this song after Tessellate while I was on vacation, and whereas I love this song, I love Tessellate a little more. As soon as vacation was over I immediately came back to learn this song on guitar. The song starts with the bass and guitar, you’ll notice there’s a lot of lalalala’s, and you’d think “wow, that seems childish.” It’s actually the exact opposite. The song is about loving someone so much, that you want to devour them, and hurt them. There’s a lot of interesting things about this song, it mentions Where The Wild Things Are. And I also think the music video is about a jealous ex. The ending is the part most people know the most. Can I mention that I absolutely love the drums, and guitar in this song. It’s so cool, especially how it goes from picking two strings and slapping the guitar, to full on power chords. It’s a beautiful transition from the verse to the chorus, and then to the ending. The drums and bassline are great too, Thom and Gwil really do their thing. Gus also does an amazing job with the Xylophones. I love how they could take something that sounds quote, “childish” and make it into something else entirely. Joe practically raps over the track, his vocals are fast while he’s vocalizing, Gus is doing the low notes, the harmonizing is ear candy. This whole song is ear candy. Some of the lyrics that really stick out to me are, “Cetirizine your fevers gripped me again, never kisses, all you ever send are full stops.” I have no idea what that means, but I like it. The last thing I wanna talk about is them singing different parts at the same time. I understand why to some people that’s their favorite part of the song, because it is really cool. I love how they harmonize in the end like it’s them talking back to each other, and arguing, but they finally reach a conclusion. Whether it’s to hurt each other, or to move on from each other. This song is a definite 10.
Onto good ole’ interlude 2. Also, not my favorite interlude on the album, but I do enjoy it for what it is. I like the guitar and the bass, and how they come together. It’s really tranquil, and kinda how I imagine interlude 1 would be if it was a guitar and bass. There’s no lyrics in this one, it’s just instrumental, however you can hear Joe say in the background “it’s a nice day, isn’t it.” Im guessing that’s obvious British small talk, I wouldn’t know, because I’m American, and none of us know how to say Hello. We just say something random instead of introducing ourselves first. I’m getting off topic. It’s a great interlude, and very calm at that. I give it an 8/10.
Man I’m so excited to talk about this song. So let’s begin. If you’ve played Life Is Strange (like I have.) there’s a chance that you’ve heard this song before. It’s the opening song to episode two. I’m gonna be 100 percent honest, this is the song that introduced me to the album. I started playing Life Is Strange at 11 years old, and I didn’t start listening to the soundtrack until I was 13. This was the only song I knew. At first I didn’t even like it, I thought Joe Newman’s voice sounded like a high pitched squidwards. I remember getting more into the game, and watching criticisms of it, and they all regarded Alt J as amazing, so I thought I’d give them a chance. Anyways, little did I know, that this would become my 3rd favorite off of the album. I’ll always appreciate Life Is Strange for introducing me to this song. Enough with the personal rants, let’s get into the actual song, one thing I’m gonna say is THE BASSLINE IS SO GROOVY. Gwil, you’re an actual genius for writing it. I love the drumming in the beginning as well. You’ll notice this song really focuses on the instruments more than the lyrics, however the writing is still good, I mean it’s Alt J, are you really surprised? I love the synths and piano, it leads to this climax in the middle of the song, that turns into this really groovy bassline. I also enjoy how Joe sometimes hums the melody, however, I have no idea what he’s saying when the bassline hits in the middle, all I know is that it sounds good. Some of the lyrics that stick out to me are, “48,000 seats, bleats, and roars for my memories of you. Now that I am clean, the matador is no more and is dragged from view.” And you also can’t forget, “get high, hit the floor before you go.” Amazing songwriting as usual. 10/10.
You’ve noticed that I’ve had a lot of good things to say about this band so far, here’s where my bias kinda takes a step back. Dissolve me is my least favorite song on the album. And somehow, I still enjoy it. The synths are loud, and the drums and bass are nice. Joe Newmans voice croons into the microphone, but the synths just kinda put me off of the song. That’s not saying I hate it, I’ve heard millions of songs 5000 times worse. I just don’t enjoy it as much of the rest of the songs on here. I love the ending, and Joe’s singing, but other than that, I don’t really listen to it as much as the others. The songwriting is great though, but I feel like there’s another song on this album that captures the concept that they’re going with better, and I’ll explain when we get to that one. I’m pretty sure the song is about divorce, “broken sweethearts who sleep apart, both still pine for the other sides spine, spoon as sleep starts.” Is my favorite line. And they use that onomatopoeia they’ve used in other songs, he shushes, it’s great. However, I just wish it was a little less, sloppy in a way. 6/10.
I actually have never watched the music video of this one. Anyways, Matilda is amazing, however, I haven’t really appreciated it until a few weeks ago. It used to be my least favorite on the album, but I honestly really really enjoy it. Since I’ve listened to it a lot less than the others though, I’m not exactly caught up with what it means. I know it’s about a kid from a movie, not the Matilda movie, but something else. Another thing I’ve noticed is that Joe Newman loves switching the language to French in his songs. Anyways, the song opens up with Joe Newman singing, which is a change of pace from the other songs that start with the instruments. It’s a beautifully composed song, I love the guitar riff, it’s so calm and peaceful which is the best way to describe this song if I’m honest. It’s not loud, it’s quiet, and calm. I love the lyric “my defeat sleeps toe to toe with her success.” Songwriting is great as usual, I’ve really gotta listen to this song more, and I suggest you listen to it to if you haven’t. 9/10.
Either my second favorite on the album, or it’s tied for third with Something Good. I absolutely adore this song. I used to listen to it when I was playing cyberpunk, there’s a lot of memories attached to this song. I love the christmassy sound of it, the harmony is gorgeous, it sounds like bells being rung, almost like a Christmas carol. Which was around the time I started listening to this song. This was one of the songs that I just instantly fell in love with. Do you remember how I said I felt like there was another song on the album that captures the concept that they’re going with better? Well this is the song. I think this song is also about divorce. “Keep your estate clean of me.” Suggests that. The songwriting is amazing, once again. Y’all are probably getting tired of me repeating how excellently crafted this album is. But some things bear repeating. The guitar, vocals, and bells are the main part of this song. The vocals especially cause Joe was singing like his rent was due. I love the “darker, darker, darker, ooohh” part, especially when he vocalizes it. My favorite lyrics are “I’ve pillowed you so many times this week, close eyes open, close again forget to fall asleep.” “The nights all of my youth pressed into one glass of water.” “We have our weight 10,000 ladybirds. All the vows vow, to guard your name.” “Some things lie too deep for tears to well, close eyes open, close eyes again feel as my body spells.” “The shadow burns across like embers, tide paper.” I just adore the songwriting in this song, I’d say it’s the most well written, but there’s one more I enjoy more. 10/10.
I wish I knew more about this song. I’m pretty sure it’s about rape, and gangs. Whatever it is, it’s actually a really interesting song in every aspect, from the instrumentals, to the lyrics, to the way it’s sung. I can’t understand a word Joe is saying in this one, and that’s saying something, cause I usually can. Which makes me disappointed cause I know this is the most important song on the album. One thing I’ve noticed about a lot of great bands, is that they make anti-rape songs. This is one of them. Nirvana made 2, Rape me, and Polly. And then you have Stone Temple Pilots, Sex Type Thing. Alt J is one band that if they said they were feminists, I’d believe them. There’s not a lot of mentioning of gender in their songs, and when there is, it’s mostly “he” like in Left Hand Free, although, An Awesome Wave is really the only Alt J album I’ve listened to so far, so maybe that’ll change. Anyways, the instrumental in this song, a lot of people say it’s crazy, and kinda creepy, I think it’s really cool. I love the guitar parts, the loud distorted parts. And the synths, and drums. Like I said, I just wish I could understand Joe a little better, so I’ll probably go read the lyrics after I publish this. Overall though, this song gets a 9.5/10.
My favorite interlude on the album. I love the humming, and the piano. So peaceful, so hypnotizing and beautiful and simple. And then I love how it transfers over to the next song on the album. It does its job. I know some people might not count the interludes, but I do, and I really enjoy them. 10/10.
Not exactly sure of the meaning behind this one. All I know is that I love this song. I listened to this and the next song on repeat after graduating from high school while smoking a cigar. It was an unreal time. I breathed in, and exhaled when he told me to. There was this calming sensation, and i felt my hands quit shaking from the adrenaline. I love the piano in this song, it really stands out. And I’m not exactly sure if there’s guitar in the back, but all I known is this is an amazing 2nd closer to the album. It’s incredible. I love how it opens up with the kids choir in the background. Apparently it’s about Joe Newman getting mugged by a gang which, yeah, that sounds terrifying, but man he made an amazing song out of it. He sings in this song, like he needs his money back by tomorrow. The ending is like a climax to a film, someone needs to get Alt J to musically produce a thriller or something. 10/10.
Wow, the technical final song, and the last one I’m gonna talk about. Because where Hand-made is great, It’s also not really technically on the album. Let’s get into this amazing closer of an album. Taro is one of those songs that can actually make me cry. I think the songwriting is the best on this album, which is saying something, but man did they knock it out of the park with this one. I love the guitar riffs, it almost sounds like a sitar in a way near the end. Or like an Asian instrument of some kind. I know Gwil took some tape and made the sound that way. All I know is that it sounds great. This is my favorite song on the album, everything about it is a masterpiece. If you don’t know, this song is about Robert Capa, the photographer who captured the image, The Fallen Soldier. Capa had a girlfriend who was also a war photographer, she died in WW2 if I remember correctly. The song is about how he stepped on a landmine and will finally get to see his long lost lover again. How he was once so far away, and is now so close. The way they wrote this song is genuinely poetic. It’s ethereal in fact. Some of my favorites are “They advance as does his chance, ohh, very yellow white flash, a violent wrench grips mass, rips light tears limbs like rags. Burst so high, finally capa lands, mine is a watery pit. Painless with immense distance, from medic from colleague, friend, enemy, foe, him five yards from his leg, from you taro.” “Do not spray into eyes, I have sprayed you into my eyes.” You know what, if I wrote my favorite lines, it’d literally be the whole song. So do yourself a favor and go listen to it yourself. This song is a 10/10.
Conclusion:
An awesome wave is an album that solidified Alt J and really put them on the map despite them being this soft, folk, indie rock type band. It’s a phenomenal album that continues to age like fine wine. The album flies by from start to finish and gets better as it goes on. If you were to listen to this album, I think you’d understand why it’s my favorite of all time. I get that there’s a lot of people who are like, “your guys’ music today is trash.” But I disagree, it’s not bad, it’s just different. And well, is it really that bad to be different? Alt J is not afraid to experiment in their music which is what I really adore about them. They know how to make killer albums, and how to give their audience a show. This album is really consisted of a bunch of random songs without a theme, and yet it somehow fits perfectly. And that’s coming from a concept album listener.
Anyways, thank y’all if you read this, hopefully I’m able to put a few more people onto this album. And if you guys have any albums or anything you want me to review (excluding really really weird stuff.) then dm me on my instagram @Jkomo13
I’ll see y’all next week with another album review.
Be seeing y’all-
JKOMO, The Appalachian Reviewer.
Appalachian Reviewer 