- The folk inspirations of alt-J have been turned up a notch in Relaxer but the group still maintains their own distinct sound. Relaxer the third release from alt-J, while not being a cohesive body of work, has some incredible songs ... but many do have these quite strange moments and sounds. Bear with it, you wouldn't be listening to this band if you didn't like it a bit weird, would you?

From references to Shakespeare, to singing in binary and at some point counting to ten in Japanese there really are some strange moments in Relaxer. In many ways 3WW, the first single to be released was a good representation of what the album was going to sound like. The track has three separate parts and fronts as a folk song from the opening “There was a wayward lad / stepped out one morning/ the ground would be his bed / the sky his awning” . Textbook folky stuff with that soft acoustic guitar, yet it inevitably reminds you this is actually alt-J when the synths are turned up and Ellie Roswell, singer from Wolf Alice, whispers the newsreader-esque line “ The road erodes at five feet per year / Along England’s east coastline”. At times it’s hard to believe you are listening to just one song, but overall it just works, somehow.

The album balances those longer and slower folk songs like 3WW with the sort of stuff that alt-J has become known for. Tracks like Hit Me Like That Snare and In Cold Blood are loud and fun with engaging guitar riffs and punk enthusiasm. It’s a wall of sound with organs, cowbells and even xylophones that provide these moments of celebration to dance about, in the otherwise slower record.

It is in those longer and slower tracks, however, where alt-J really shines. With five out of the eight tracks clocking over the five minute mark the band is obviously enjoying these longer explorations of song writing too. The reworking of House of the Rising Sun is spectacular, with alt-J's idiosyncratic take and the addition of new verses they really do push the narrative further. They even sample some of the traditional folk classic The Auld Triangle in Adeline and these old-time oddities in the slow burning songs are really a pleasure to listen to.

Relaxer to some will seem indulgent and overly complicated and I can see the stab of the arguments about it being a bit weird; I mean, counting in Japanese -I ask you- and just for kicks too! Really though, expand your comfort-zone, just a bit. Relaxer is such an engaging and rewarding record and it showcases just how good alt-J can be, more so with every listen.

- Jack McDonnell.