User Score
Universal acclaim- based on 261 Ratings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 238 out of 261
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Mixed: 10 out of 261
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Negative: 13 out of 261
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Apr 15, 2014From Ars Nova to Dubstep in one album. Alt-J offers a very refreshing approach to music.
Firmly roted in european musical tradition at the same time exploring brand new territories.
Yet "An Awesome Wave" doesn't feel weird at all, I simply can't get enough of it. -
Sep 11, 2014At times disjointed, uniquely alien, yet in retrospect beautifully harmonious, the incredible depth and breadth of An Awesome Wave peel away in layers to reveal its many shades with every listen. Truly an achievement.
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Nov 24, 2012
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Apr 11, 2013in my opinion an awesome wave is one of the best albums of 2012, beautiful vocals, love the folk influences in the albums, absolutely amazing. I seriously can't stop listening to it, 10/10
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Sep 20, 2012Simply stunning.......at first, I was hooked by only one or two songs (Tessellate & Something Good), but with each listen, I discover more depth and more to like.
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Apr 6, 2013Their sound is intriguing. When I first listening I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I couldn't stop listening. For about a month straight. And the more I listened, the more I appreciated the uniqueness. Fast forward a few months and I'm still as intrigued as ever.
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Oct 22, 2013
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Nov 17, 2013
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Oct 6, 2014The first song i ever heard by Alt-J was Breezeblocks. I was instantly hooked. I started off listening to a few of their songs including Tessellate, Fitzpleasure, Something Good, and Taro. Now i listen to the entire album and enjoy every second of it. From the moment i first heard them, I knew that they would be my favorite band. That will never change.
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Jul 18, 20208 Years later and this Album feels as fresh as on its release day. I highly recommend listening.
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Apr 11, 2013
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Dec 5, 2012
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Dec 23, 2012So underwhelming as to produce a soporific effect. The latest industry inside joke? ... Yes.
Laura Snapes of Pitchfork said it all-- 'overstuffed and messy, and so overworked that what life there may once have been now exists as a kind of primordial paste.' -
Oct 12, 2013This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
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Jun 20, 2012What 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!
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Dec 8, 2012With Alt J, I once again appreciated U.K's taste in music. From Tessellate to Taro (Taro might be the best track of 2012) and Bloodflood, An Awesome Wave is easily the best indie album of 2012.
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Jul 12, 2012Although '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.
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Sep 25, 2012No other album this year has managed to capture my attention as well as this one. It blends catchy and addictive melodies and a unique voice with a very new sound.
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Aug 21, 2012A new band from Cambridge is pushing the limits of alternative rock to the edge. With transient beats, folksy guitars, layered vocals, and unpredictable song structures, Alt-J
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Jun 18, 2012
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Jun 6, 2012One Of a best album of this year.
Simplement agréable, on y retrouve diverses influences, la voix rappelle les Fleet Foxes, bref un album entre indie rock, pop, electronic, et hip hop, où l'on retiendra Alt-J. -
Jul 17, 2012Who would have thought that one of the year
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Dec 9, 2012Mercury Prize Winner this year. Debut album. They
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Dec 16, 2012First off, I would like to state that this album is a complete success. The lyrical talent of this band is incredible, and all of the songs have interesting meanings and almost all have "plots" of their own. From references to books, movies and common life events, this album is simply a joy to listen to. It's upbeat and quite entertaining to listen to.
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Apr 10, 2013It 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.
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Dec 30, 2013An album and a band that have ripped off Leeds' finest, Wild Beasts, to a shameless, crass and pitiful extent. Derived tosh with no heart. They have come and gone now, but I shall not forget the brief time they managed to pull the wool over those less than astute publications' eyes. (looking at you NME!)
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Jun 2, 2014An Awesome Wave definitely has some great tracks on there, but only some. And my main problems with this album were generally the vocals, which sometimes sounded a little irritating, but not always, and I found the lack of proper heart-warming strength in these tracks also a problem.
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Feb 11, 2016One of the best, most interesting albums of the decade. It's bursting with ideas, in my opinion. Listen to it while reading the lyrics, to fully appreciate how odd and artistic it is. I don't rate many albums perfect. And I find it hard to understand the critical reaction to this. Pitchfork really blew it on this one.
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Jan 3, 2014
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Sep 23, 2014An Awesome Wave is an awesome album. This is because it both has songs, like Breezeblocks and Fitzpleasure, that can stand alone and sound great and at the same time it is able to create a nice atmospheric blend throughout the entire album
Awards & Rankings
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Mar 13, 2013Alt-J crafts an ethereal ocean of sound that's remarkably cohesive-at once strange and familiar.
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Feb 26, 2013This Leeds-to-Cambridge foursome's unhurried electro-mesh is always more than pleasant and half the time mildly enthralling.
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Nov 20, 2012An Awesome Wave washes over its beached listeners, pleasantly cooling them for a second, then making its retreat back into an ocean of sameness.