Monday 16 January 2012

Alt-J - Fitzpleasure



A fair few people have commented that Leeds based Alt-J are going to do well this year, and on the evidence presented so far it’s fairly easy to see why. Musically fascinating but relatively accessible at the same time, they appear to have it all.

‘Fitzpleasure’ only serves to encourage the “hype” (as it were). Looped vocal shouts are quickly met by throbbing bass and Joe Newman’s highly individual vocals, before instantly dropping back into a beautiful guitar led melody, and from there it builds. More than anything though, it’s the sound of band releasing exactly what they want to release, there’s no constraints on the music at all. It feels so free and unpredictable, and yet the band manages to avoid getting lost in the experimentation almost (it would appear) with ease.

By the end of this track, you struggle to find an argument against this being Alt-J’s year (at least within the small indie band scene). With wonderfully crafted music, the band have created a sound that is staggeringly individual without coming remotely close to alienating the listener from what they are trying to achieve. The only issue that could be foreseen is that the tracks they’ve put out so far follow a fairly similar pattern and style, but given the inventiveness displayed here, changing it up a bit shouldn’t be too much of a struggle for them. With UK tours supporting Ghostpoet and Wild Beasts on the horizon; the future is bright for this lot, make no mistake.

By Sean Collison

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