It takes some courage in the world of alternative rock to sample a Miley Cyrus song. Thankfully for all of us, the vocal layers, acoustic percussion, falsetto and melodic dub-bass beautifully work together in Alt-J’s attempt in its new, highly anticipated second album, “This is All Yours,” released Sept. 22.

Alt-J, comprised of four liberal arts students from the University of Leeds in England, first collaborated in 2007 between classes and accompanied by the noise of their dorm hallways through GarageBand – a mediocre (at best) application that many computers provide for free.

Their progression from GarageBand-using students to Mercury Prize winners in 2012 for the Best Album of England and Ireland came from the huge success of their debut album, “An Awesome Wave.” The award put the band on the same playing field as previous Mercury Prize winners such as Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and The xx.

“We’re just guys from Leeds who started a band and then muddled through it and magicked a Mercury award.” drummer Gus Unger-Hamilton said in an interview with The Independent.

Despite using similar sounds to their debut album, lead singer Joe Newman continues to show his distinctly large vocal range in “This is All Yours,” supported by dark vocal effects and layers. Although the song “Every Other Freckle” epitomizes the band’s ability to stay true to its acclaimed alternative sound, Alt-J dips into a different wave of rock, organizing the disorganized, math-rock sounds of “An Awesome Wave.”

“This Is All Yours” seems to begin with a completely new, eerie sound that has songs ending solely with the annoying buzzing of an insect. Apart from the bugs, Alt-J slowly and perfectly progresses by the album’s fourth and fifth tracks, delving into the driving, weird sound that “An Awesome Wave” presented.

No song stands out as the obvious chart-topping single that their debut was full of, such as “Tessellate” and “Breezeblocks,” which will most likely remain the band’s biggest hits. “This Is All Yours” does, however, showcase Alt-J’s strengths through beautiful instrumental breakdowns and excellent placement of the aforementioned Miley Cyrus sample in “Left Hand Free.” Enthralling and cleverly sexualized lyrics let each individual song have just enough ear candy to enrapture any listener. “Every Other Freckle” flirtatiously bounces around all of the most essential aspects of Alt-J, focusing its energies around addicting and smart vocal layers.

“Pusher” and “Warm Foothills” show the band’s ability to dip into acoustic and melodic tones that stand in stark contrast to the dark sounds that define the rest of the album. “Left Hand Free” showcases a completely new style for the band, dipping into aspects of modern rock that make Alt-J sound closer to bands like The Black Keys and Cage the Elephant. Throughout the record, the band seems to switch styles and techniques constantly. While this certainly makes it difficult to hear the album flow from song to song, it brings diversity to Alt-J’s sound.

Pinning this dynamic album to a single genre would be nearly impossible as the variety of instruments and emotions throughout “This is All Yours” is what makes Alt-J encompass the full range of the alternative rock genre.

“This is All Yours” dances a fine line between computerized and musical instruments, while Newman’s off-tempo and ghostly falsetto vocals beautifully tie together the essence of a new sound in alternative music.

Dani Zessoules can be reached at [email protected].