Altas "All I Ever Wanted Was" Album Review

I have to say when Altas first sent us their album for a review and it opened in my Spotify, I had an initial visceral and emotional reaction to seeing track lengths over 3 minutes on their album. Most of their songs are pushing 6-7 minutes, a relatively bold move in the era of 3 min pop-flavored bangers. As an album reviewer, however, this is either very good news or very bad news. Either you’re going to dive into something you love or sit through an unnecessary amount of self flatulence. Perils of the job aside I dove into All I Ever Wanted Was optimistically, and it did not disappoint.

THE GOOD

Their album art is some of the coolest I’ve seen in a while. Usually, I skip the critique on album art unless it’s amazing or awful, but in this case, it seems like a metaphor for Altas themselves. It’s a picture taken on the day of a solar eclipse so that light spots on the pavement are shaped like little crescents. It also seems like they added some basic color manipulations that appear to be done in the style of film. If this was actually an all-analog cover design, with a photo taken on a very specific day to attain that desired effect, then bravo, because you just outdid everyone.

The same level of thoughtfulness seems to have been distilled into their music as well, everything is very thought through, every detail seems planned and executed as near to perfection as possible. This album is perfect for someone who needs something to listen to while doing a task that isn’t quite menial, yet requires some engagement to complete. Working out, studying, or filing your taxes… anything where you want to let your mind be consumed by music, this is the next album you need in your life.

THE BAD

It seems that this newest release is a big step in the right direction as far as production is concerned. The first album Epoca De Bestias isn’t by any means bad, but it feels like a first album. It has all the production weirdness and experimentation with a “sound” that a first album should have. Plus it also was in 2014, and if you hadn’t noticed the world has changed quite a bit since then. Here we are in 2019, and All I Ever Wanted Was gives Altas a defining sound, a new grown-up look and feel to their branding, the only thing I want out of this is more. While the sonic quality of the newest record is a great leap for the band, there is still room to push.

THE VERDICT

This is an interesting one, arguably music like this is better left without dissection. It seems due to its delicate and complex nature, that when you start pulling it apart the process starts to resemble actual vivisection. It’s not really that interesting, and the frog still dies. Possibly, the best way to enjoy Altas is to drive out into the mountains, put in your headphones and take a run through the forest, and do as the band tells you to on their website: “… or don’t think at all and just listen.”