alt-J review - This Is All Yours

After the loss of a member, the release of a few singles and excitement building, indie experimental heroes alt-J have gifted the world once again with the release of their second album. This Is All Yours finally is all ours, and it's a good one. (The prize for understatement of the year goes to...)

It starts off with a track called Intro, just like 2012 Mercury Prize winning debut album An Awesome Wave, which kicks off the proceedings in the only way Leeds band alt-J know how: unconventionally. Two minutes of "lalalala" and odd noises make way for frontman Joe Newman's muffled vocals, then more odd noises and the song's over. I think it's a pretty good introduction to the band for those who haven't listened to them before. 

This Is All Yours artwork

Next are the first two in a series of three tracks on the album with 'Nara' in the title: Arrival in Nara, Nara, and the third, the penultimate track on the album, Leaving Nara. I did have to Google it but it appears that Nara is a place in Japan. My favourite of the three is Nara; a soft, drum backbone supports beautiful vocals, tinkling piano and even a bit of dubstep. 

Recent singles Every Other Freckle and Left Hand Free follow, the former featuring lyrics that could almost rival those of Fitzpleasure from their first album. ("Turn you inside out and lick you like a crisp packet." is a particularly memorable snippet.) The latter is a song I adore; the repeating acoustic guitar riff is constantly worming around inside my mind and possibly brings the listener closer to reality than other tracks. But they don't want that. Cue a trademark background-noise-filled interlude to reduce the chances even more of alt-J ever creating a "normal" record. 

Slow burner Choice Kingdom then precedes lead single Hunger of the Pine (featuring a sample from a Miley Cyrus track) and Warm Foothills, with a male/female duet that alternates within the lines; as in, they finish each other's sentences. It's definitely not cheesy though. 

Well timed handclaps and breathing movements form the background for The Gospel of John Hurt, a song written about that one scene from Alien that everyone knows about, whether they've seen it or not. It's a very catchy tune. Then comes gorgeous, melodic, falsetto filled Pusher, a certain highlight, but it's the following song that I was most excited to listen to when I first saw the track listing. Bloodflood pt.II is the follow up to the incredible Bloodflood from their debut, and has some of the same lyrics as the first, including "Dead in the middle of the C-O-double M-O-N". I was very thankful to not be disappointed; in fact, I think it's the best track on the album. It's a brilliant part of a brilliant record.

This Is All Yours is available to listen to now on Spotify, and is released officially on Monday 22nd September. Preorder it on iTunes here and on CD or vinyl here. 

Written by Molly McGrath