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RELAXER - Alt-J

English indie rock band Alt-J are back with their third studio album, RELAXER, their first in 3 years. The Leeds-based trio shot to prominence in the UK when their 2012 record, An Awesome Wave, won the Mercury Prize that year. Featuring two uncredited collaborations with the lead singer of Wolf Alice, Ellie Rowsell, RELAXER looks as though it promises to continue the band's rise as one of the best indie rock acts around today. Let's see, shall we?

As usual, the system of rating is here:
1 - Shouldn't have been recorded
2 - Filler
3 - Above average
4 - Killer
5 - Career defining masterpiece




Track 01 - 3WW

John - 3/5

Tilly - 3.5/5

Track 02 - In Cold Blood

John - 3.5/5

Tilly - 4.5/5

Track 03 - House of the Rising Sun

John - 3.5/5

Tilly - 3.5/5

Track 04 - Hit Me Like That Snare

John - 4/5

Tilly - 3.5/5

Track 05 - Deadcrush

John - 3.5/5

Tilly - 3/5

Track 06 - Adeline

John - 2/5

Tilly - 3/5

Track 07 - Last Year

John - 3.5/5

Tilly - 4/5

Track 08 - Pleader

John - 3/5

Tilly - 3/5





Conclusion

John - Having been a fan of Alt-J's first album, An Awesome Wave, and not listened to anything of theirs since, it came as a slight shock as to how their sound has changed. The record has a very dark, melancholy tone for the most part, barring a few, more upbeat tracks - a stark contrast to An Awesome Wave's faster tempo summery vibes. Alt-J have always been an interesting band lyrically, and RELAXER is no definitely no exception. Hit Me Like That Snare is worth listening to if you need an example of this!

I enjoyed listening to this album - or I think I did, anyway. Very laid back, varied, and certainly different, RELAXER stands out from any other record I've listened to this year. Given a chance, it has the power to whisk you away to Alt-J's world - and music that has the power to do that is good music in my eyes - but it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

Overall Score - 3.5/5

Tilly - I hadn't been familiar with Alt-J's work until I heard a song of theirs play on the radio at work a couple of weeks ago and it was insanely different to anything on RELAXER. For the most part, it very much earned it's title. It's incredibly melancholy, but so so beautiful. Their lyrics are pretty...odd? - Totally just managed to cram a Panic! At The Disco reference in there for no reason whatsoever - but I actually really like them. Strangely lovely I suppose? In Cold Blood was an obvious single choice. Incredibly catchy and a great instrumental to accompany that. Hit Me Like That Snare was jam-packed with Harry Potter references, and was incredibly funny. If you only give one song a chance, make it one of those two.

It wasn't a perfect record. Far from it. Some tracks were dimmed by the length, and others just lacked any excitement, but I would definitely listen to every single song again given I was in the right mood for it. It's very atmospheric and I do believe that if you're not ready for such a slow paced album, you'll miss out on the magic.


Overall Score - 3.5/5

For Fans Of - Broken Bells & Vampire Weekend

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