From the nape of her neck he made his descent
They watched men hurl from rock to sea
Like sternum to button, lined lip pinches in between
Your foothills
Your warmth
Iris swims quietly beside me
Oh the leaves and larger weeds sway and stretch themselves beneath
Blue dragonflies dart to and fro
I tie my life to your balloon and let it go
Your foothills
Your warmth
Ooooh
Alt-J (stylised as alt-J, real name Δ) are an English indie rock band formed in 2007 in Leeds. Their lineup includes Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), Thom Sonny Green (drums), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals), and formerly Gwilym Sainsbury (guitar/bass).
Their debut album An Awesome Wave was released in May 2012 in Europe, and in September 2012 in the United States, and won the 2012 British Mercury Prize. Sainsbury left the band in early 2014. Their second album, This Is All Yours, was released on 22 September 2014 and went straight to number one in the United Kingdom. In February 2022 the band released their fourth studio album The Dream.
The band's actual name is the triangle-shaped symbol Δ (the capital Greek letter delta). The band often makes references to triangles. "Alt-J" comes from the key sequence used to generate the symbol Δ on an Apple Mac computer: Alt+J.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt-J
https://www.altjband.com/
Sounds to me like the same guy singing in falsetto. Seems gimmicky to me. Not a fan of this one.
It is a gimmick, although that's actually 4 different voices! From the Daily Trojan review (full article here) -
The most memorable female voice, however, occurs on the track “Warm Foothills,” perhaps the album’s crowning achievement. The track features English female folk singers Lianne La Havas and Marika Hackman, as well as Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst. Rather than giving each their own verse or chorus, the guests trade off every other word with Newman and Unger-Hamilton, creating a mesmerizing hocketing effect that recalls fellow indie rockers Dirty Projectors. It will be very interesting to see how they attempt to recreate this effect in a live setting.
And I've found that I'm liking Alt-J, and upvoted from my initial 1 to an 'it's not bad 6 rating - Long Live RP!!
Perhaps you'd be happier elsewhere.
I remember my childhood names for grasses and secret flowers. I remember where a toad may live and what time the birds awaken in the summer---and what trees and seasons smelled like---how people looked and walked and smelled even. The memory of odors is very rich.
I remember that the Gabilan Mountains to the east of the valley were light gay mountains full of sun and loveliness and a kind of invitation, so that you wanted to climb into their warm foothills almost as you want to climb into the lap of a beloved mother" (East of Eden, John Steinbeck, page 1).
It seems that the tension was the effect they were striving for.
It is a gimmick, although that's actually 4 different voices! From the Daily Trojan review (full article here) -
The most memorable female voice, however, occurs on the track “Warm Foothills,” perhaps the album’s crowning achievement. The track features English female folk singers Lianne La Havas and Marika Hackman, as well as Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst. Rather than giving each their own verse or chorus, the guests trade off every other word with Newman and Unger-Hamilton, creating a mesmerizing hocketing effect that recalls fellow indie rockers Dirty Projectors. It will be very interesting to see how they attempt to recreate this effect in a live setting.
And I've found that I'm liking Alt-J, and upvoted from my initial 1 to an 'it's not bad 6 rating - Long Live RP!!
I appreciate the research! Me, I'm starting with a 7 for openers... FWIW I *like* the gimmick!
or
Self-indulgent?
The two traits are not mutually exclusive; historically they've usually coincided.
is that a xylophone in the background?
Good ears, xcranky_yankee!
Could be a xylophone, but the vibrato of the musical note makes me think it's a vibraphone. Not much difference between the two, except the vibraphone has metal disks in the resonator tube that give it the vibra-sound; a rattle-y sound like a string's vibrato. Vibes are used often in 1930-1950 jazz recordings.
A true xylophone makes a steady tone (like a bell) when struck by the musician's mallet.
is that a xylophone in the background?
Probably electronic. It sounds like a glockenspiel.(electronic?) IDK