Alt-J

This Is All Yours (Infectious)

Alt-J established its bizarre blend of freak-folk electronics, ambient soundscaping, and scruffed-up rock with acclaimed 2012 debut An Awesome Wave, but This Is All Yours pushes the boundaries even further. Opening with pulsing chant “Introm,” the UK quartet descends into a dream world where English folk slides against French poets and Miley Cyrus, whose “4X4” they manage to suavely incorporate on “Hunger of the Pine.” Joe Newman’s thrilling, disjointed vocal trill guides the trip, Fleet Foxes lost in Wonderland on dual tracks “Arrival in Nara” and “Nara,” and gritty, contorting yelps of “Every Other Freckle.” The sequencing adds a sense of the uncanny, with uptempo standout “Left Hand Free” segueing into flutes and bird chirps on “Garden of England (Interlude)” and falsetto of “Choice Kingdom.” Alt-J could come off as pretentiously obfuscating but for the overt playfulness within the experimental. (8:30pm, Orange stage)

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This article appears in November 7 • 2014.

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Doug Freeman has been writing for the Austin Chronicle since 2007, covering the arts and music scene in the city. He is originally from Virginia and earned his Masters Degree from the University of Texas. He is also co-editor of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology, published by UT Press.