As it draws to a close, 2014 has proven itself as one of the best years for alternative music in recent history. September in particular was a very fruitful month; several alternative artists put out albums that are worth a listen by fans and genre newcomers alike.
Whether groups made an effort to carry on after a core member’s departure or an artist chose a new direction for a breath of fresh air, daring and surprisingly successful releases occurred in September.
Released on Sept. 9, Interpol’s first album in four years, El Pintor, represents a return to form for the band as well as a step forward.
In many ways, El Pintor shows Interpol’s return to their roots, evoking a sound reminiscent of their days playing smoky bars in New York — long before their stint opening for U2 on the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.
Though hailed as one of the great New York alternative bands to emerge in the 2000s, Interpol is often criticized for a lack of sound experimentation. That being said, Interpol uses this album to draw on its classic sound while continuing to grow. “Anywhere” would fit in well with Interpol’s earlier work, while the floating and falsetto-laden “My Blue Supreme” shows the band taking a mature step forward.
Furthermore, El Pintor is the first of the band’s five albums not to feature founding bassist Carlos Dengler, who jumped ship after their previous, self-titled effort.
Released on Sept. 23, Alt-J’s This is All Yours shows the English band’s standing power against the pressure to follow a debut album as successful as An Awesome Wave.
Like Interpol’s El Pintor, This is All Yours is Alt-J’s first release following the departure of its founding bassist. Gwil Sainsbury left the band earlier this year due to distaste for the music industry.
Alt-J’s debut album, An Awesome Wave, was universally acclaimed and earned the band an immense amount of radio play. The success of their debut also led to critics lauding them as the “new Radiohead.”
Young artists who make well-received debuts are often faced with a tough decision of bowing to the industry and continuing to please the masses or taking a leap of faith toward a new sound that could make or break their careers. On This is All Yours, Alt-J finds a balance between the two, opting to reconcile the ethereal, stargazing sounds of its first album with some more adventurous sonic shifts.
Many of the songs that appear on This is All Yours were written on tour, which explains why Alt-J’s two major efforts sound so akin to each other.
On one hand, the song “Left Hand Free” depicts the band at its edgiest, while the back-and-forth vocals and light strings of “Warm Foothills” cool the mood in typical, yet more evolved Alt-J style.
Also released on Sept. 23, Sukierae is the highly anticipated solo album of Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy.
Earlier this year, Tweedy announced that he’d release an album of new material as well as reworked songs that had previously been shelved. Later, it was confirmed that this would be a collaborative project with his son, 18-year-old drummer Spencer Tweedy.
The collaborative project, aptly named Tweedy, decided to call its debut Sukierae after the nickname of Susan Tweedy, wife of Jeff and mother of Spencer. Susan’s battle with cancer influences in one way or another many songs on the record.
Comprised of two discs and 20 songs total, this double album has its share of gems as well as tunes that slightly resemble worthy Wilco material.
Singles “Summer Noon” and “Low Key” as well as the delicate “Flowering” display some of Tweedy’s best songwriting.
These great September alternative releases are highly recommended. Fans can try to sneak into some of the sold-out shows as Alt-J performs at the Echostage and Interpol at the 9:30 Club.
