If any band was threatening to disappear completely up their own bums, it was Alt-J. The Mercury Music Prize-winning Brits won over fans and critics alike with a debut that combined Radiohead's eclectic production smarts with frontman Joe Newman's awkward falsettos.
Mixing in just enough guitar grunt made them an appealing festival proposition.
On first impressions, This Is All Yours isn't promising: founding bassist Gwil Sainsbury bailed days before recording sessions were due to start, the album's cover art looks like something a kindy kid could produce in minutes, and the off-putting opening track Intro mixes hip-hop lyrics like "I pop clips, bitch", with a mind-numbing Celtic choir.
Watch the music video for Every Other Freckle by Alt-J:
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Thankfully, things get better from there, with the brooding grind of Every Other Freckle, the lush trumpet stabs of Hunger of the Pine and the trip-hop throb of Bloodflood pt.II showing enough dexterity to prove this is a band not scared of pushing out its boundaries. Sometimes they push too far, like (Garden of England)'s flute loops and the random hillbilly jam Left Hand Free, but this occasionally impressive second album has moments of brilliance among its bonkers fare.
Where to from here? Well, that's anyone's guess.
Verdict:
Mixed bag from pomp-rock trio
- TimeOut