An Awesome Wave - Alt-J
An Awesome Wave Image
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 84 Ratings

  • Summary: This is the debut full-length album for the British quartet who met at Leeds University.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 20
  2. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Sep 19, 2012
    90
    You can see every angle and every side of the shape they've made. And the unimpeachable logic of each song, added to their odd tunefulness of the songs, makes them exciting to listen to.
  2. Sep 28, 2012
    80
    Alt-J's bizarre pop is ultimately rooted solidly in pathos, in a sort of blighted redemption. They favor cacophony for its ability to offset silence, enjoy spiraling out of control for its appreciation of the meticulous.
  3. Oct 12, 2012
    80
    There's undeniably something new and intriguing going on here. [Jul 2012, p.95]
  4. May 30, 2012
    60
    'Matilda' is superb, squirmy avant-pop, 'Tessellate' sports a pleasing, stuttering, polyrhythm, whilst 'Breezeblocks' skitters beneath multilayered vocals.

See all 20 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 19
  2. Negative: 4 out of 19
  1. What can I say? One of the best, if not the best albums I've listened to this year. Complex, nerdy and catchy all at once! If Fleet Foxes were into electronic music and enjoyed geometric metaphors this is the album they'd make! Expand
  2. Although 'An Awesome Wave' not perfect, Alt-J have managed to blend together the abrasive synths, "nerdy" attitude and delicate instrumentation effectively. However, lead singles 'Breezeblocks' and 'Fitzpleasure' dominate the attention paid to this album and feel so much bigger and better than some of the fillers. Expand
  3. It sure is catchy, and fun on first listen, but subsequent listens reveal a lack of depth. The band has a couple of ideas that they spread out through the album. It gets old quickly, and is not something a patrician listener is likely to remember for much longer than a year. Expand
  4. This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A boring, schizophrenic attack on both the ears and the mind. The album is unfocused and contains nonsensical, absurd lyrics (see Tessellate) sung by a whiney, pretentious snob (Breezeblocks and Interlude 1 are the most annoying vocal deliveries I've ever heard). The reason for a 1 instead of 0 is because of the dull, but interesting experimentation involving the instruments. Wild Beasts and The xx do this kind of thing (odd vocals/experimental music) a lot better, Alt-J are just rip-offs. Expand

See all 19 User Reviews

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