Alt-J emerges from its coccoon with moodier, electronic slow jam

All the hipsters and NPR people went nuts over An Awesome Wave, the debut album from downtempo British indie rockers Alt-J. Meanwhile, I was just chilling out over here in a corner not really understanding what the big deal was about. I respect their uniqueness but not even attending a packed to the rafters Bonnaroo set of theirs last year was able to totally sway me.

Now we have "Hunger of the Pine," the lead single from their sophomore LP This is All Yours, due Sept. 22. The electronics here are definitely thicker and it's more sample based, containing a Miley Cyrus sample (which sounds awful, but it works well in the context of the song). It has a Radiohead/Atoms for Peace type vibe going on, while still capturing the chilled out nature of their earlier work. I like it, and will give the upcoming album a chance for sure.