alt-J

AN AWESOME WAVE
INTRO ❦ TESSEL-
L ATE BREEZEBLOCKS
❦ SOMETHING GOOD
DISSOLVE ME MATILDA
MS FITZPLEASURE ❦
BLOODFLOOD TARO

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 INTRO

Shit them all festival, laugh at the beautiful,

It’s just a nod to the canon.
Simple man Stan can’t stand up on the beautiful,
It’s just a nod to the canon.
Stickle brick, tickle quick, laugh at the beautiful,
It’s just a nod to the canon.
Hustle over hot muscle shower, twitch off the beautiful,

It’s just a nod to the canon now

❦
She only ever walks to count her steps,
Eighteen strides and she stops to abide by the law that she herself has set -
That eighteen steps is one complete set, and before the next nine right and nine left
She looks up at the blue and whispers to all of the above:
‘Don’t let me drown, don’t breath alone, no kicks no pangs no broken bones.
Never let me sink, always feel at home, no sticks no shanks and no stones.
Never leave it too late, always enjoy the taste of the great grey world of hearts.’
As all dogs everywhere bark, ‘It’s worth knowing
Like all good fruit the balance of life is in the ripe and ruin.’

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 TESSELLATE

Bite chunks out of me, you’re a shark and I’m swimming,

My heart still thumps as I bleed, and all your friends come sniffing.
Triangles are my favourite shape, three points where two lines meet.
Toe to toe back to back let’s go, my love it’s very late,
Till morning comes let’s tessellate.
Three guns, one goes off – one’s empty – one’s not quick enough.
One burn – one red – one grin, search the graves while the camera spins.
Chunks of you will sink down to seals, blubber rich in mourning,
They’ll nosh you up yes they’ll nosh the love away,
But it’s fair to say you will still haunt me.
Triangles are my favourite shape, three points where two lines meet.
Toe to toe back to back let’s go, my love it’s very late,
Till morning comes let’s tessellate.

BREEZEBLOCKS

She may contain the urge to run away so hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks.
Cetirizine, your fever’s gripped me again, never kisses – all you ever send are full stops.
Do you know where the wild things go? They go along to take your honey.
Break down now sleep, build up breakfast, now let’s eat, my love.
Muscle to muscle and toe to toe, the fear has gripped me but here I go,
My heart sinks as I jump up, your hand grips hand as my eyes shut.
Do you know where the wild things go? They go along to take your honey.
Break down now sleep, build up breakfast, now let’s eat, my love.
She bruises coughs, she splutters pistol shots so hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks.
She’s Morphine, queen of my vaccine, my love my love.
Muscle to muscle and toe to toe, the fear has gripped me but here I go,
My heart sinks as I jump up, your hand grips hand as my eyes shut.
She may contain the urge to run away so hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks,
Germolene, disinfect the scene, my love.
But please don’t go, I love you so, my lovely.
Please don’t go, please don’t go, I love you so, I love you so,
Please break my heart.
Please don’t go, I’ll eat you whole, I love you so.

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 SOMETHING GOOD

Something good, oh something good tonight will make me forget about you for now.
Get high, hit the floor before you go.
Matador, estocada, you’re my blood sport.
But something good tonight will make me forget about you for now
Forty-eight thousand seats bleats and roars for my memories of you,
Now that I’m fully clean the matador is no more and is dragged from view.
Get high, hit the floor before you go.
Matador, estocada, you’re my blood sport.
Forty-eight thousand seats bleats and roars for my memories of you,
Now that I am clean the matador is no more and is dragged from view.
But something good tonight will make me forget about you for now.

DISSOLVE ME

Now dissolve me, two tabs on your tongue,

A herd of shepherds to herd the sheep, sleep now my only one.
Broken sweethearts who sleep apart
Both still pine for the other’s side spine, spoon as sleep starts.
And pulse to pulse, now shush.
She makes the sound the sea makes to calm me down.
I am see-through, soap sliver you’re so thin,
As I begin rubbing lathers up your state worsens on my skin.
And gold, fatless finger to lip, one two three four hush.
And pulse to pulse, now shush.
She makes the sound the sea makes to calm me down,
She makes the sound the sea makes, I’m tired now.
She makes the sound the sea makes, knee-deep in the north sea.

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 MATILDA

This is from Matilda.

Just like Johnny Flynn said, ‘The breath I’ve taken and the one I must’ to go on,
Put the grenade pin in your hand so you understand who’s boss.
My defeat sleeps top to toe with her success,
Oh this is from Matilda.
And she needs you, this is from Matilda.
Just like Johnny Flynn said, ‘The breath I’ve taken and the one I must’ to go on,
Put the grenade pin in your hand so you understand who’s boss.
My defeat sleeps top to toe with her success,
Oh this is from Matilda.
And she needs you this is from Matilda,
Elle a besoin de toi, cela vient de Matilda.
This is from Matilda.

MS

We can’t lose touch but we can let go, blue and white gun made from Lego.
All the vowels vow to hold your name, keep your estate clean of me.
I’ve pillowed you so many times this week,
Close eyes, open, close again, forget and fall asleep.
The dark seeks dark,
The dark seeks dark,
Darker,
Darker,
The nights of all my youth pressed into one glass of water.
Scattered truths, bewildered beast boohoos, we have our weight: ten thousand ladybirds.
All the vowels vow to guard your name, keep your estate clean, happy.
Some things lie too deep for tears to well,
Close eyes open, close again, feel as my body spells
Dark seeks dark,
Dark seeks dark,
Darker,
Darker,
The shadow burns across like embers tide paper.
Darker, darker, darker, darker.

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 FITZPLEASURE

Tralala, in your snatch fits pleasure, broom-shaped pleasure,

Deep greedy and Googling every corner.
Dead in the middle of the C-O-double M-O-N,
Little did I know then that the Mandela Boys soon become Mandela Men.
Tall woman, pull the pylons down
And wrap them around the necks of all the feckless men that queue to be the next.
Steepled fingers, ring leaders, queue jumpers, rock fist paper scissors, lingered fluffers.
In your hoof lies the heartland
Where we tent for our treasure, pleasure, leisure, les yeux, it’s all in your eyes.
In your snatch fits pleasure, broom-shaped pleasure,
Deep greedy and Googling every corner,
Blended by the lights.

BLOODFLOOD

C-O-double M-O-N
A wave, an awesome wave, that rushes skin and widens in blooded veins.
Breath in, exhale, I’ve poked a nerve he’ll slap me like a whale
Slaps the sea-O-double M-O-N.
Tide out, tide in, a flood of blood to the heart and the fear slipstreams.
Breath in, exhale, I’ve poked a nerve he’ll slap me like a whale
Slaps the sea-O-double M-O-N.
Flood of blood to the heart.

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 TARO

Indochina, Capa jumps Jeep, two feet creep up the road

To photo, to record meat lumps and war,
They advance as does his chance – very yellow white flash.
A violent wrench grips mass, rips light, tears limbs like rags,
Burst so high finally Capa lands,
Mine is a watery pit. Painless with immense distance
From medic from colleague, friend, enemy, foe, him five yards from his leg,
From you Taro.
Do not spray into eyes – I have sprayed you into my eyes.
3:10 pm, Capa pends death, quivers, last rattles, last chokes
All colours and cares glaze to grey, shrivelled and stricken to dots,
Left hand grasps what the body grasps not – le photographe est mort.
3.1415, alive no longer my amour, faded for home May of ‘54
Doors open like arms my love, Painless with a great closeness
To Capa, to Capa Capa dark after nothing, re-united with his leg and with you, Taro.
Do not spray into eyes – I have sprayed you into my eyes.
Hey Taro!

HANDMADE
(secret track)

Your sting red full stops my skin, dotted, scratch scratch, now I’m bleeding.
Legions upon legions of craftsmen handmade my feelings.
There’s bears in the wood and they’re out to get me,
And I’m safe from harm if I stay in this chalet.
And hold me tight and I’ll sink in,
I’m absorbed in your thinking,
And you don’t know.
Your sting red full stops my skin, dotted, scratch scratch, now I’m bleeding.
Legions upon legions of craftsmen handmade my feelings
For you.

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 Produced by Charlie Andrew
All strings arranged by Kirsty Mangan
Violin on 'Tessellate' and 'Taro' by Kirsty Mangan
Cello on 'Taro' by Rachael Lander
Additional vocals on 'Bloodflood' and 'Taro' by St Ronan's Chamber Choir (St Ronan's School)
Mastered by Dick Beetham at 360 Mastering, London.
Hand-Made Produced by Mark Bishop
BBC Motion Gallery for use of 'Are you sitting comfortably' in Hand-Made

Written by: Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Gwilym Sainsbury, Thom Green
Published by Kobalt Music Group

Band thanks:
Charlie, Butters, Tav, Kirsten, Al James, Rich Jones, Stuart Bridgeman, Sam Gormley,
Nick Holroyd, Jo Brittain, Kirsty, Korda, Pat, Mike, Connie, European Space Agency,
The Peppermint Lounge, Huw, Steve and Zane, Stuart Stubbs, Obar,
Constantine, Eliza, Tom Cater, Julian.

Joe: Mum, Dad, Eleanor, Annie and all friends and family.

Gus: Jess, my parents, Joe, Gwil and Thom; Prosper,

Felix and Ferdy and all my family and friends; Vivien Laird and Peter North.

Gwil: Gaia, Tom S, Joe, Thom, Gus, Dr AD, Wendy, Alice, Sophie, "Big" Mike x 60, Kirsty W,
R Verma, J Schwartz and Dickie B.

Thom: All my family, Myra Rowland, my friends in Harrogate, F.U.B.A.R, Julian & Mike Seymour,
all the staff at both the Harrogate & Truro dialysis units, Christian Scott, Dave Lale,
Archie Maitland and Gareth Edwards.

www.altjband.com
p & c 2012 Infectious Music Ltd. Unauthorised copying, reproduction, hiring, lending,
public performance and broadcasting of this record prohibited
www.infectiousmusicuk.com

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