Alt-J
This is All Yours (Canvasback/Infectious Music)
This British band made an auspicious debut with 2012's Mercury Prize-winning An Awesome Wave, an album that rightly drew comparisons to Coldplay and Radiohead while simultaneously announcing the band's distinct approach. Singer Joe Newman possesses a soft voice that effectively establishes the band's singular sound. He hiccups his way through retro-leaning tunes such as "Left Hand Free," a folky number that has a real swagger to it and sounds like it could be a song by a modern-day Buffalo Springfield. "Hunger of the Pine" goes for something more soulful as the song builds slowly, making use of a Miley Cyrus sample while strings and things cut in and out of the mix. "Every Other Freckle" is a little noisier (and weirder). It's encouraging to hear these forward-thinking guys haven't made any compromises on their anticipated follow-up to An Awesome Wave.
