Alt-J - The Dream
Love, hope, loss and Coca-Cola: a review of Alt-J’s ‘The Dream’
‘The Dream’ is Alt-J’s fourth album. The masters of experimentalism, since their 2012 debut they have won the Mercury Prize, been nominated for a Grammy, headlined festivals and sold out multiple world-renowned venues . This album is a worthy addition to their list of achievements.
‘The Dream’ covers nearly all corners of 3am conversations. Their lyrics, in true Alt-J style, remain completely open to interpretation, ruminating on topics from the more mundane love, loss, and hope to darker sides of the subconscious: murder, revenge, and crypto-currencies.
Perhaps it is what makes the band so polarising – their ability to say a lot by not really saying anything at all.
‘U&ME’is the least controversial track of the album. A carefree summer love song, it captures Alt-J’s distinct sound with layered synths and an easy upbeat feel, in contrast to the ominous tones of opening track‘Bane’.
‘Get Better’ is undoubtedly the most vulnerable track Alt-J have ever produced, conveying a sense of rawness both lyrically and sonically with stripped back acoustics and soft vocals. It takes us through the grief of someone who has lost their lover to a terminal illness, beautifully portraying the small details about somebody you may hold onto after their death and the stage of denial: “I still pretend you’re only out of sight in another room smiling at your phone”. The riff “Get better, my darling” mirrors the loss of hope and acceptance that comes with seeing somebody you love die, starting with “I know you will”, before transitioning to the heartbreaking “I hope you will”.
Vocalist and bassist Unger-Hamilton admits: “When Joe (vocals) played it to me, I didn’t just get a bit tearful, I broke down…A cry of the year.”
The voice recordings laced throughout the album come from the band’s friends and family members, also adding to its sense of intimacy. Unger-Hamilton’s Mum shouts ‘Scum!” in Hard Drive Gold.
Alt-J wade through multiple genres in their fourth album, flitting between folk, blues, opera, and psychedelic rock. ‘Delta’and ‘Chicago’have an almost spiritual sound with clashing melodies whereas the blues track ‘Walk A Mile’ is throaty and sensual.
Some tracks feel unremarkable, and the second-half of the album seems to take you into almost a dreamlike state as the sounds merge into each other. Perhaps, though, this was Alt-J’s aim, mirroring the surrealism of 2020 – the year the album was produced.
Frontman Newman says that one of his main inspirations for this album has been true crime podcasts. “We’re drawn to these sorts of things,” he says, speaking of the popular podcast My Favourite Murder. “Having an open place to talk about them is a positive way of protecting yourself.”
Penultimate track ‘Losing My Mind’ is where this inspiration becomes most obvious. An exploration into the logic of a serial killer, it touches on what it means to be human.
‘Powders’is lulling and nostalgic, the perfect closing track to an album titled ‘The Dream’. The lengthy voice recording reminisces the feeling of being 16 and falling in love too quickly.
Perhaps it was the time they had to reflect in lockdown, but this album feels more ‘Alt-J’ than ever. As Unger-Hamilton sums up: “With Relaxer (their previous album) we had reached the end of something. I think with this album you can tell we feel rested and excited to be making music again.”
