Remember how you responded when a teacher called you “promising”?
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[5.29]
Iain Mew: Alt-J create music that shows obvious evidence of how carefully it has been pieced together. It’s not quite minimalist, but there’s a efficiency designed to point at elements in light, fresh yet uneasy songs. I would be slightly scared of the results if new British indie bands taking after In Rainbows and xx in equal measures becomes a wider thing, but I’m glad this one did.
[8]
Anthony Easton: Smooth, and it sparkles, sort of like the soundtrack to Patton Oswalt reading his gentle tweets.
[6]
Patrick St. Michel: The musical arrangement sounds promising, but Alt-J never take it anywhere more interesting than “art-school-dorm-room messing around.” The vocals sound like Alt-J forgot to record them the first time around, so they rushed some bland mumbling about bullfighting over it.
[3]
Brad Shoup: So what would the Alt-J keyboard command be? Does it open Thought Catalog?
[5]
Katherine St Asaph: “Something good will make me forget about you,” the guy mewls. Piano droplets rain from the sky, and it’s true: I forget about him. Then either they’ve disappeared or I’ve forgotten them too.
[5]
Alfred Soto: Pretty to no purpose, even the piano trills lifted from nineties Moby.
[4]
Will Adams: I agree, In Rainbows is something good.
[6]