Album · Alt J
An Awesome Wave by Alt J
An Awesome Wave is an album by Alt J, released in 2012. 6 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 69 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Breezeblocks”, on 37 lists with a best position of #2.
An Awesome Wave, the debut from Leeds four-piece Alt-J, came out through Infectious on 25 May 2012, with America getting it that September, and it sounds like nobody else's idea of an indie-rock record: skeletal, glitchy and oddly tender, built on clipped rhythms and hushed harmonies. Joe Newman sings and plays guitar, Gus Unger-Hamilton handles the keyboards, Gwil Sainsbury plays guitar and bass and Thom Green drums. Even the title is a sly nod to American Psycho.
"Breezeblocks" became the breakout, with "Tessellate" and the paired single "Matilda"/"Fitzpleasure" in its wake. The album won the Mercury Prize that year and Album of the Year at the Ivor Novello Awards in 2013, and it stands as Sainsbury's only full album with the band before he left in early 2014.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from An Awesome Wave on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breezeblocks | 37 | #2 | – | 2012–2026 | |
| 2 | Tessellate | 16 | #12 | – | 2012–2026 | |
| 3 | Fitzpleasure | 12 | #18 | – | 2012–2025 | |
| 4 | Dissolve Me | 2 | #255 | – | 2019–2025 | |
| 5 | Intro | 1 | #504 | – | 2024 | |
| 6 | Something Good | 1 | #81 | – | 2012 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.