alt-J - Relaxer

There’s a lot riding on alt-J’s third album Relaxer. And relax it does not. In the best way possible. Eight songs contain worlds, galaxies, and universes of musical exploration. Already released 3WW and In Cold Blood are intense, the former boasting vocals from Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell and the latter a flurry of Morse code lyrics and off-putting bass. Quite surprisingly for many fans, House of the Rising Sun is a cover of the timeless tune made famous by the Animals, and alt-J make glorious work of it. The rest of the album takes us through more experimental keyboard sounds and continues the wacky journey already introduced us to with previous records. Hit Me With That Snare and Deadcrush are insane, layered tracks, with hanging, distorted vocals and heavy basslines. Adeline harkens back to previous album This is All Yours with sweet acoustic guitars layered over soothing piano notes, while closing track Pleader is satiatingly incongruous. Relaxer is a trip through folk, through electronic, through alternative experimental music with a solid alt-J stamp plastered all over it. There’s a sense of urgency, an uneasiness that permeates the record; all eight songs have something ethereal, something ephemeral, and something eerie about them. Relaxer is both the most, and the least, alt-J album ever made. The band ramp things up for third record, each song offering something brand-new to the palate of alt-J’s decadently experimental repertoire; the only thing missing is Bloodflood Pt. III.