Alt-J
RELAXER

With "Relaxer," their third studio effort and the anticipated follow-up to 2014's "This Is All Yours," Alt-J need to somewhat decide what to be when they grow up.

The previous album, which came after a dazzling and much-praised debut like "An Awesome Wave," pushed them to the top of the charts but also left a few questions hanging, along with previous certainties. Sound and arrangements are obviously impeccable, but also a couple of twists that got a few noses slightly out of joint.

Fears almost entirely swept away with this new album, produced by Charlie Andrew (Producer of the Year at the Brit Awards in 2016, who has previously worked with the likes of Madness and Eugene McGuinness) and heralded by no less than three singles, different from each other but truly valid.

Of course, those expecting Alt-J's "Kid-A" will be fundamentally disappointed: yes, the opener (and first release) "3WW" surprises and openly takes its time, starting with a simple guitar score that gradually enriches with sporadic sudden noises and a well-suited alternation of male and female vocals. It is followed by the beautiful single "In Cold Blood," which takes the best aspects of the old superhit "Breezeblocks," deconstructs them by adding a much less conventional structure and closes the circle with a wonderful horn session.

Even "Deadcrush" seems to pay tribute to the same trademark, but this time in electro soul territory. The awaited cover of the classic "House Of The Rising Sun" also convinces, and again Joe Newman and his companions deconstruct and unwind, adding however a new verse written for the occasion.

"Hit Me Like That Snare" is the rock track that breaks the mood of the work, just like "Left Hand Free" did in the previous album, this time with less attention to form and a greater taste for the skewed and the quirky. The uptempo part ends here, to leave room for "Adeline," with the classic Irish piece "The Auld Triangle" incorporated into the structure, and the delicate "Last Year," before the pompous and emphatic closure of "Pleader."

A great album, this "Relaxer," which allows Alt-J to continue on their path of growth, with intelligence and without overdoing it.

Best track: "3WW"