Cambridge quartet alt-J have been one of the more unexpected debuts of the year thus far. Arriving without much context, An Awesome Wave has been a refreshing 2012 release largely in part of its lack of genre confines. They have a quickly-shifting maze of sound, led by Joe Newman’s punctured vocal that spins on its head, whose total goal is movement more so than direction. The meandering sound is fixed around literate lyrics and compressed instrumentation that keeps everything tightly wound while allowing it the space to grow.
“Ms” is a song about dealing with the toss-and-turn end (“Close eyes, open, close again, forget to fall asleep“) of something you aren’t necessarily ready to let go, if only out of habit. Its ominous, hurried phrasing and cautious basslines are countered by a surprising, open-minded kicker that hovers above the fray, buoyed by an air of hopefulness (“We can’t lose touch but we can let go“) in resolution. It’s altogether a deep breath and a look up, with everything in mind.
Check out the track along with instrumental “Interlude II” that casually settles all your scattered thoughts back into place. An Awesome Wave makes its stateside release September 18 on Canvasback Music.