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Leeds rockers Alt-J are back this fall with the highly anticipated This Is All Yours. The record is a follow up to 2012’s hugely successful and critically acclaimed An Awesome Wave, a record that all but changed the landscape of British experimental/folk rock. On this release, the boys offer a stark display of artistic and musical excellence that wholly lives up to their first release.

Like a spark of instant light and weightlessness, This Is All Yours opens with ‘Intro’, a poignant trajectile of fire and power. Inflected with east asian influence, Alt-J’s fluid execution is daring and harmonious.

Intro slips, somewhat jauntily, into ‘Arrival in Nara’. Like the opening to a film, a forlorn piano dances mournfully into a decidedly elongated piece wrought with emotion and longing. Lead singer, Joe Newman’s vocals stretch into what almost feels like a separate track all together. Though I cannot see/ I can hear her smile as she sings he croons peacefully alongside the picking of a single guitar.

Low and heavy, ‘Nara’ continues with the much more dirge-like delivery Alt-J has become known for.

The Mercury Prize winning threesome have a lot to prove on this release. With the recent departure of bassist Gwil Sainsbury, the fear was that the initial spark that made the band an instant hit will have dimmed quite a bit. This is clearly unfounded as Alt-J have clearly surged ahead with a still powerful sound.

Those who have been following Alt-J’s steady release of singles over the summer will recognise the sensual and unconventional ‘Every other Freckle’. Led by bizarre yet visceral imagery ‘Every other Freckle’ calls to mind thoughts of licking and crisp packets that somehow manage to pair well.

‘Every other Freckle’ is bolstered by another easily recognisable single, ‘Left Hand Free’, the melodic, 70s  tinged fifth track on the record. With an infectious guitar riff that travels over the landscape of the song, this particular track is a definite radio ready stand out.

An interlude signals, perhaps a change in pace for the record. Slowing it down considerably on tracks like ‘Choice Kingdom’ and ‘Hunger of The Pine.’

‘Hunger of The Pine’s’ slow and steady heartbeat create a tense and hollow release of musical build. The feeling of rising and swelling gifts the track with a layered feeling calm intensity.

‘Warm Foothills’ is a distinct treat on the record. True to its name, ‘Warm Foothills’ is pleasant, hopeful, and all encompassing. It features Newman’s vocals spliced in alternating word patterns with the likes of Marika Hackman, Lianne La Havas, and Conor Oberst. The track is, simply put, radiant. There is nothing else like it on this record and it is a rare gem.

This Is All Yours continues on in a similarly powerful manner, drawing on a distinct musical prowess easily heard throughout the record. The are little to no displays of weakness with this release and it more than matches up the bar Alt-J set with An Awesome Wave.