Single Review: Alt-J – ‘Every Other Freckle’
2 min read
Every Other Freckle is an enchanting musical adventure that will leave you more desperate for the release of Alt-J’s sophomore album This is All Yours than you were for your 6th birthday.
Following the success of their debut album An Awesome Wave- which reached number one on the UK Indie Album Charts upon it’s release- This Is All Yours has been hotly anticipated by fans worldwide, despite the departure of the bands legendary bass player Gwil Sainsbury. The new single has been received as “vintage alt-J”- exploring a middle ground between the eerily subdued Hunger of the Pine and the “least Alt-J song ever” (according to Alt-J themselves) Left Hand Free – the two singles also leaked from the album. Every Other Freckle is everything you’d expect from a band praised for their eccentric experimentations with sounds.
Like chilli chocolate cupcakes and bacon pancakes – the mesh of different genre-d components that make up the song is weirdly intriguing. Heart warming folk sounds morph into electrifying segments dominated by drummer Thom Green’s obsession with hitting what sounds like a cowbell. All this is glued together by the hum of a distorted bass with a sound equivalent to wrapping your head in an incredibly fluffy pillow and the seductive vocal chocolate of Joe Newman. The song is permeated by moments of subdued, mellow stillness that floats between it’s contrasting segments, which accentuate the seductiveness of Newman’s vocals. These moments of lucidity only add to the thrill of whatever collection of sounds that follows.
In short, Alt-J has once again managed to prove their musical genius- or more accurately music evil genius; making fans wait till September for the rest of their album is just cruel.
