Album Review: Alt-J - This Is All Yours

The dreaded second album. An Awesome Wave was so lauded there was even more pressure on Mercury Prize-winning alt-J when creating their follow-up. This Is All Yours is inherently reactionary.

Pop conventions, in particular the energy and wordiness, have taken a backseat to soundscapes, hazy repetition and through-composition. Crudely put, there is no Breezeblocks.

The references to the Japanese city of Nara, where deer roam free in one of its parks, is a metaphor for freedom. Look, yes, it’s pretty pretentious, and this is not an album that is understood at first listen, or even second. What was at first alienating and disjointed becomes beautiful and complex at times, though even then, it is at times more bizarre, or dull, than good.

It’s contradictory and contrasting, but makes the most sense in order, each piece a counterweight to the next. There are the mesmerising vocal ostinatos of Intro, the unfolding beauty of Arrival In Nara, the strange groove of Every Other Freckle. Some miss the mark, like the terrible approximation of a Red Hot Chili Peppers track, Left Hand Free. Centrepiece, Hunger Of The Pine is the best track on there and marks the beginning of the stronger half of the album, hitting the perfect mix of subverting expectation and delivering on it. Warm Foothills is another highlight, sensual and delightfully playing with vocal octaves.

The Gospel Of John Hurt recaptures the magic of An Awesome Wave with its forward motion, but overall this album struggles to find a cohesive voice as whole work.