alt-J - The Dream

It's nice that alt-J continues to keep us guessing, but The Dream is about as hit-and-miss as Relaxer.

alt-J - Relaxer

alt-J's third album is the UK art pop outfit's most inconsistent yet.

alt-J - "Left Hand Free"

Nobody tell Sun Kil Moon's Mark Kozelek about this band or this video. If he called The War on Drugs beer commercial music, I'm not sure his mind could handle a band whose video essentially is a beer commercial. alt-J channel their escapist 90s soul in this video, and combine it with a very polite but catchy blues riff that carries throughout the song. Just watching this, it's easy to understand why this band is so controversial. Listeners that need to take their music seriously 100% of the time probably won't understand alt-J. Sure, they don't have teeth, Joe Newman's vocals ape a dated rap rock style, and stereotypical "oohs" and "whoas" persist throughout the song. But you know what? It all adds up to three minutes of pleasant escapism, and that's all they're trying to do.

Our review of the new alt-J album:

- Garrett Cottingham

alt-j - This Is All Yours

UK-based art pop outfit alt-J releases an even more obtuse followup to their popular debut album.

Alt-J - "Every Other Freckle"

Previously loved UK art pop outfit Alt-J drops yet another song from their forthcoming LP, This Is All Yours. The release date: September 22nd via Infectious.

Unlike the previously released songs off this new album, "Every Other Freckle" seems to be more in line with Alt-J's previous output. There's a heavy bassline matched with some equally lumbering drum beats, and atop that are the odd, soulful vocals of guitarist-vocalist Joe Newman.

The hook is great, and as the song progresses, the band manages to build the intensity up with more percussive and melodic layers. Alt-J writes catchy, upfront tracks, but their refined approach to arranging their instrumentation is what continues to keep them interesting.

clipping. - "Story 4: Sleeplessly Embracing" (alt-J remix)

https://soundcloud.com/alt-j/story-4-sleeplessly-embracing-a-remix-by-clipping "Hunger of the Pine," the lead single off alt-J's forthcoming LP This is All Yours, was already a plenty fierce song - from its progressive, horn-adorned composition, to its prominent Miley Cyrus vocal sample, to its Hunger Games-esque music video. However, the song just got even fiercer thanks to our bold friends over at clipping., who have re-worked the song into the fourth installment of their "Story" song series (I take it the third chapter was skippable). They did a number on the track, let me tell ya - the only recognizable elements of the original are the "sleeplessly embracing" vocal cut and the horns. Damn, does Daveed sound bad-ass over that brass! But not only is "Story 4" a glorious testament to these guys' remixing skills, but it features what might just be their most intricate (and macabre) storytelling to date. After pieces like the first two stories and "Dominoes," that's saying something. Here's hoping this gets put out on a 7" or something!

But don't let this overshadow alt-J's original work, which is still a stellar tune. This Is All Yours drops September 22 via Infectious Records. Find our review of the band's stunning 2012 debut An Awesome Wave here.

Alt-J - "Hunger of the Pine"

Alternative pop outfit Alt-J drops a new track from their forthcoming LP, This Is All Yours. It's a moody slow-burning ballad that asks for your patience.

In the final third of the song, I came to realize this is a pretty cerebral piece of music. It asks a lot of the mind's primeval side, I'd like to think. The song's hypnotic rhythms and drones speak to something ancient or archaic, and it's more beautiful for it.

Alt-J- "Fitzpleasure"

English art pop outfit Alt-J has seen fit to drop some visuals on the track "Fitzpleasure," which comes from the band's latest LP, An Awesome Wave. Watch a review for the album here.