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| Track list: 1. Intro 2. (The Ripe & Ruin) 3. Tessellate 4. Breezeblocks 5. (Guitar) 6. Something Good 7. Dissolve Me 8. Matilda 9. Ms 10. Fitzpleasure 11. (Piano) 12. Bloodflood 13. Taro Running time: 48 minutes Released: 2012 |
Alt-J. There was massive hype about this album, as I recall. I think I bought it based on Latitude 2012 (a muddy occasion that my friend and I left early based on disappointment, and where I spent more time in Poety and Literature in the dry than seeing bands in the wet. I think they were late on stage. To be honest, I cannot really justify the purchase from the memories I have of that set; and frankly I think I will find it hard to justify it based on this listen, too.
The interludes are named in my library, so they are named in the track list here. I have no idea whether that is canonical and correct or an artefact of WMP's album information service - it certainly seems at odds with most online track listings for the album. This is my lack of care, for unless I am surprised here, I expect them all to be deleted shortly anyway... but lets give it a listen before then, eh?
The first thing I notice is that the final track is 12 minutes long. Joy. There is also a 2 and a half minute intro and 3 interludes. Just looking at the track list you would immediately write off a third of the tracks! The intro is incredibly recognisable, the opening of it having been used to accompany just about everything on TV for a year or so after this came out. The refrain itself is nice enough that you can see why, but when everything else kicks in the track loses something. Then strait into interlude 1, an unaccompanied short song; not the best singers but there is an interesting use of space in the construction. Not enough to save it though.
Tessellate is the first proper track and it gives me the sense that they think they are cleverer than they are. Yes, that is an uncharitable reading but as my plans for today fell through I am not in charitable mood. Musically there is interest here, but the song itself is lame and I dislike the vocal - another for the scrapheap. As Breezeblocks starts I sense a theme with me disliking their vocals - there is nothing in the delivery to like. The interest is again hidden in the construction of the backing which I cannot fully appreciate because of my antipathy to the singing, and what I do pick up is not enough to override my feeling of revulsion to the voice and the repetition in the lyric. Second interlude... just what I need to break up this long player. Oh, wait - no, you'd barely started. That said, the rambling little guitar melody is the nicest thing on the album so far by some way.
Something Good, eh? Well it opens promisingly enough, and the vocal - whilst still annoying when it comes in - is less immediately destructive of what sits around it. I somehow feel that there is something lacking here though. The hook is catchy enough, but the track feels empty somehow - like it is lacking depth that would come from wider instrumentation. Even when the sounds layer up, they are all very similar and indistinct. Overall, a decent track worth keeping but it feels like it could have been a fair bit more. Oh, ugh; I do not like the opening to Dissolve Me; ironically the vocal here works but the music is falling flat for me. It is funny how different contexts can entirely shift our perspectives and expectations. The track as a whole feels empty and lacking - I can see why people might like it but I do not, and it compounds that by being the first track that seems to go on and on and on.
When it finally ends, we get Matilda which makes a good first impression until - in a reversion to type - the guy starts singing. There is a whining quality to his voice, like he is pained by having to sing or something and it gets right up my nose. It sounds like a comedy evil voice to me and my aversion to it is completely killing my enjoyment of what might - with better vocal - be an interesting song. Too bad. They've already had as much of my money as they are going to get, and my negative impressions are not going to cost them custom so it is all academic. Ms sees the voice less grating for a second, but there is always the potential for it to slide back into the plaintive squeal, and in the meantime the interest has gone from the composition which is so thin in places as to be absent. It gets better, but the singing gets worse so I am not sure the trade off is worth it. It is not a bad song in the way I feel some of the others are but there is not enough interest there for me to keep it.
Oh god, more unaccompanied singing. Boys, that really is not playing to your strengths! Thankfully some more robust than usual sounds kick in that actually manage to screen the worst of the song, then a nice bouncy melody arrives briefly. Fitzpleasure seems to be a track of contrasts - a very interesting piece but one I find myself not really standing well, and that irritates me. It is the best composition to date by some way but the use of vocals is atrocious and it makes me weep for the lost opportunity. If only they had a decent vocalist... I will probably keep it because the interest behind those sung words was so strong here as to be compelling but it could have been so much better.
The Piano interlude comes and goes unnoticed. Pointless filler. Bloodflood has a nice opening then... a strangely sampled school choir? Something like that it seems. Clearly this is where the album title came from, the lyrics are clearer here and delivered less awfully, but that is not saying much. Unfortunately it seems that when the vocals are bearable the music loses some of its creativity - as if pairing the two takes too much concentration or effort, which might make sense in a live performance, but falls flat as a cause on record. Just like that the 4 minute song - longest bar the closer which is just starting - is done though. Honestly having sat through this I cannot see what the major hype generated from at all. There are hints of promise here but it remains almost entirely unfulfilled.
My listen of Taro is interrupted by a phone call from a friend 2 minutes in. I wonder about restarting the track to give a fairer picture but to be blunt: sod that. It is an OK-ish mood piece but nothing special and the biggest question I have is when will the dead air kick in, or will it somehow strive to fill the time allotted? It seems to be dying at the 5 minute mark, which leaves 7 and a half for dead air ans secret track bollocks which means although the titled piece was quite decent I will not be keeping it - dead space is not desired. Five minutes later something comes back in. Nice melody, but not worth waiting for even before you factor in the shite voice. I have just realised that he sounds like someone else that I am familiar with... but alas I cannot pin down who. I think it is someone who harnesses a similar affectation of whining squeal - maybe Mumford? I never liked their vocal much either.
Then silence, blessed silence. Does not live up to the hype; what the hell was I thinking?
The first thing I notice is that the final track is 12 minutes long. Joy. There is also a 2 and a half minute intro and 3 interludes. Just looking at the track list you would immediately write off a third of the tracks! The intro is incredibly recognisable, the opening of it having been used to accompany just about everything on TV for a year or so after this came out. The refrain itself is nice enough that you can see why, but when everything else kicks in the track loses something. Then strait into interlude 1, an unaccompanied short song; not the best singers but there is an interesting use of space in the construction. Not enough to save it though.
Tessellate is the first proper track and it gives me the sense that they think they are cleverer than they are. Yes, that is an uncharitable reading but as my plans for today fell through I am not in charitable mood. Musically there is interest here, but the song itself is lame and I dislike the vocal - another for the scrapheap. As Breezeblocks starts I sense a theme with me disliking their vocals - there is nothing in the delivery to like. The interest is again hidden in the construction of the backing which I cannot fully appreciate because of my antipathy to the singing, and what I do pick up is not enough to override my feeling of revulsion to the voice and the repetition in the lyric. Second interlude... just what I need to break up this long player. Oh, wait - no, you'd barely started. That said, the rambling little guitar melody is the nicest thing on the album so far by some way.
Something Good, eh? Well it opens promisingly enough, and the vocal - whilst still annoying when it comes in - is less immediately destructive of what sits around it. I somehow feel that there is something lacking here though. The hook is catchy enough, but the track feels empty somehow - like it is lacking depth that would come from wider instrumentation. Even when the sounds layer up, they are all very similar and indistinct. Overall, a decent track worth keeping but it feels like it could have been a fair bit more. Oh, ugh; I do not like the opening to Dissolve Me; ironically the vocal here works but the music is falling flat for me. It is funny how different contexts can entirely shift our perspectives and expectations. The track as a whole feels empty and lacking - I can see why people might like it but I do not, and it compounds that by being the first track that seems to go on and on and on.
When it finally ends, we get Matilda which makes a good first impression until - in a reversion to type - the guy starts singing. There is a whining quality to his voice, like he is pained by having to sing or something and it gets right up my nose. It sounds like a comedy evil voice to me and my aversion to it is completely killing my enjoyment of what might - with better vocal - be an interesting song. Too bad. They've already had as much of my money as they are going to get, and my negative impressions are not going to cost them custom so it is all academic. Ms sees the voice less grating for a second, but there is always the potential for it to slide back into the plaintive squeal, and in the meantime the interest has gone from the composition which is so thin in places as to be absent. It gets better, but the singing gets worse so I am not sure the trade off is worth it. It is not a bad song in the way I feel some of the others are but there is not enough interest there for me to keep it.
Oh god, more unaccompanied singing. Boys, that really is not playing to your strengths! Thankfully some more robust than usual sounds kick in that actually manage to screen the worst of the song, then a nice bouncy melody arrives briefly. Fitzpleasure seems to be a track of contrasts - a very interesting piece but one I find myself not really standing well, and that irritates me. It is the best composition to date by some way but the use of vocals is atrocious and it makes me weep for the lost opportunity. If only they had a decent vocalist... I will probably keep it because the interest behind those sung words was so strong here as to be compelling but it could have been so much better.
The Piano interlude comes and goes unnoticed. Pointless filler. Bloodflood has a nice opening then... a strangely sampled school choir? Something like that it seems. Clearly this is where the album title came from, the lyrics are clearer here and delivered less awfully, but that is not saying much. Unfortunately it seems that when the vocals are bearable the music loses some of its creativity - as if pairing the two takes too much concentration or effort, which might make sense in a live performance, but falls flat as a cause on record. Just like that the 4 minute song - longest bar the closer which is just starting - is done though. Honestly having sat through this I cannot see what the major hype generated from at all. There are hints of promise here but it remains almost entirely unfulfilled.
My listen of Taro is interrupted by a phone call from a friend 2 minutes in. I wonder about restarting the track to give a fairer picture but to be blunt: sod that. It is an OK-ish mood piece but nothing special and the biggest question I have is when will the dead air kick in, or will it somehow strive to fill the time allotted? It seems to be dying at the 5 minute mark, which leaves 7 and a half for dead air ans secret track bollocks which means although the titled piece was quite decent I will not be keeping it - dead space is not desired. Five minutes later something comes back in. Nice melody, but not worth waiting for even before you factor in the shite voice. I have just realised that he sounds like someone else that I am familiar with... but alas I cannot pin down who. I think it is someone who harnesses a similar affectation of whining squeal - maybe Mumford? I never liked their vocal much either.
Then silence, blessed silence. Does not live up to the hype; what the hell was I thinking?
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