Alt-J // This Is All Yours

Alt- j is one of those bands for whom releasing a second album was always going to be quite the challenge; after their massively successful first album in 2012, it’s safe to say they had their own sound. In 2012 at least, there was no one else who sounded like them. It was this, I would guess, that brought them into the conundrum of whether to keep this sound and risk the second album being better named “An Awesome Wave Part II”, or to move onto something different and risk their fans just not liking it. It’s likely that they chose the first option after the departure of guitarist, Gwil Sainsbury, after a line-up change, it seems the band were eager to probe the music wouldn't change and well... it didn't.

Two of the three singles to be released so far (“every other freckle” and “hunger of the pine”) are by no means unpleasant to listen to, but despite sounding like they could be in the background of a Skins montage of mental break-down, they’re just not as catchy as the main tracks on An Awesome Wave.That's despite the addition of a Miley Cyrus sample in “Hunger of the Pine”. I'm not really sure what they were going for there, but I don’t think I get it. And sadly the same goes for much of the rest of the album, it’s not bad, it just doesn't feel as new. In fairness, Alt-J have attempted to mix up their sound, for example the vocals on “Left Hand Free” are unexpected, and actually really good. It’s tracks like that which make you think they could have gone in a new direction and created something great, rather than playing it safe. The three tracks “Arrival in Nara”, “Nara” and “Leaving Nara”, (Nara being a town in Japan) are interesting as a chronological flow through an album is fairly original and adds an extra layer, but I think if you listened to the whole album, you wouldn't guess which three songs were connected.I think however, it’s important to conclude that the album is still worth a listen, it’s still well written, chilled out, and played by a very talented group. You’ll probably still Shazam it if you hear it in a pub, despite being 90% sure you know who it is, and if all you’re after is more of the first album, you won’t be disappointed. And who knows, maybe it sounds more original to those who didn't listen to Tessellate on repeat every day for 6 months...