Following a five-year gap between releases, English alt-rock trio
Alt-J returned with something unexpected: a focused album with a handful of traditionally structured pop songs that some could say were radio-friendly. By no means a mainstream sellout,
The Dream is the tightest attack the group have recorded to date, channeling their usual quirky tendencies into a clearer vision that veers between the comforting and the devastating. Loosely connected by tales of warm memories and cold crimes, these dozen tracks feature some of the band's most evocative storytelling, whether that involves frontman
Joe Newman embodying a struggling thespian-turned-drug dealer ("The Actor"), a justified murderer ("Happier When You're Gone"), or even a tech bro striking big with cryptocurrency ("Hard Drive Gold").
Alt-J's typical kitchen-sink approach to sonics hasn't weakened, whether they're dropping a trance beat and fevered chanting onto pastoral acoustic folk ("Chicago"), recruiting an opera singer and harpsichord for a dramatic thumper ("Philadelphia"), or employing a barbershop quartet to back a spare
Thom Yorke-styled dirge ("Walk a Mile"). In addition to the expansive opener, "Bane" (which cleverly utilizes the sound of a soda can cracking open on a nostalgic snapshot of summer love), other highlights include the radio hit "U&ME" and the aforementioned "Hard Drive Gold," a pulsing groover that might be one of the catchiest songs they've written thus far. On the other end of the spectrum, "Get Better" is a tender heartbreaker that features the most crushing lyrics on the album, facing loss and death with such elegance that it rivals the most mournful moments from
Elliott Smith and
Bright Eyes. While the record's extended coda is more fizzle than comedown, there's still plenty of beauty to be found in the latter third, and fans from all eras will find something to love at every turn. Their best since 2014's
This Is All Yours,
The Dream finds
Alt-J in top form. Despite being so lyrically death-obsessed, the beauty and warmth coursing through the album make it full of life and absolutely human. ~ Neil Z. Yeung
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