Coming out of their respective corners, the duo have composed and recorded their fourth studio album, TELEPATHIC. The songs, initially crafted apart by the two artists in separate locations, come together as a swirling and beautifully unified whole. The new album boasts the traditional L'Altra arrangements of piano, Wurlitzer and guitar coupled with subtle electronics, steady rhythms and the intimate call-and-response musings of Lindsay and Joe. While the sounds and pieces are familiar, it's in the details that the L'Altra story continues to unfold.
TELEPATHIC finds the band working with a familiar cast of collaborators and friends including Josh Eustis (Telefon Tel Aviv), Charles Rumback (Colorlist, Via Tania), Josh Abrams (Iron & Wine), Elisa Graci (Costa Music), Marc Hellner (Pulseprogramming), and Darren Garvey (Cameron McGill, Andreas Kapsalis).
L'Altra was formed in 1999 in Chicago with original members Lindsay Anderson, Joseph Desler Costa, Ken Dyber, and Eben English. Marc Hellner was also a regular contributor. The band released one EP and two records with Aesthetics Records before English and Dyber left the band. The band continued to tour with members Kevin Duneman and W. W. Lowman taking the place of the departed rhythm section. In 2005 L'Altra moved to Hefty Records and teamed up with Telefon Tel Aviv's Joshua Eustis who produced and recorded the band's album Different Days. In 2007 Lindsay Anderson released a solo album called If (Minty Fresh) while Joseph Costa aka Costa Music released his first solo effort Lighter Subjects in 2008. The release of their new album, Telepathic, is expected in 2010.
Official website: http://www.laltramusic.com
Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/laltra
Traffic
L'Altra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could see it coming
Without reason
Without warning.
How can I explain
My hopelessnesses?
You try so patiently,
I was not aware
That you were not warned.
I could not care
That you were not reassured.
I think of you on an airplane
Your shoes are off
A slight light light go play
Sipping soda and ice
But how can I explain
My meaninglessnesses?
You try to hold my hand
And now it's raining.
I was not aware
That you were not warned.
I could not care
That you were not reassured.
Like a cake failed
A recent email
It's traffic on your street.
I'm open to suggestion
On how to spend my cash
And how to waste your day.
I'm not looking for suggestion
On how to spend my cash
And how to waste your day.
The above lyrics are from the song "Traffic" by L'Altra. The song talks about feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, as well as the inability to explain or understand our own emotions. The first two lines convey a sense of impending doom, something coming without warning or reason. The singer then talks about their own struggles to explain their feelings of hopelessness, yet someone close to them (presumably a partner or friend) is attempting to understand them, turning the pages as they try to get to the root of the problem.
The third stanza talks about the ignorance towards the struggles of others. This could be interpreted in a variety of ways. It could be a reference to how often we are blind to our loved ones' inner turmoil or it could be about how we only see our own problems and struggles. The following stanza is a random thought, with the singer imagining someone they care about being on a plane, a momentary escape from the problems around them. However, the singer then goes on to talk about their own struggles with meaninglessness, which seems to bring them back into reality.
The final stanza brings back the theme of ignorance towards the problems of others, with references to a cake that has failed, a recent email, and the traffic on someone else's street. It seems that the singer is trying to convey the idea that we often focus on our own problems and are apathetic towards the problems of others. The final lines seem to be a plea to not be told how to spend our money or waste our days. It is an acknowledgement that we may not have all the answers, but we don't want to be told what to do either.
Line by Line Meaning
Into the bright light
The singer saw something approaching clearly and brightly
I could see it coming
The singer was able to anticipate the approaching thing
Without reason
The approaching thing had no discernible cause or explanation
Without warning.
The approaching thing came suddenly and unexpectedly
How can I explain
The artist is struggling to articulate something
My hopelessnesses?
The thing the singer is struggling to explain is feelings of hopelessness
You try so patiently,
Someone is trying to help the singer understand and work through their feelings
Pages turning.
This person is doing so by reading or flipping through something
I was not aware
The artist did not know something
That you were not warned.
Someone was not given a warning or alert about something
I could not care
The singer did not care about the lack of warning for this person
That you were not reassured.
This person was not comforted or reassured in some way
I think of you on an airplane
The singer is imagining someone on a plane
Your shoes are off
This person has removed their shoes
A slight light light go play
There is a faint or subtle light shining
Sipping soda and ice
The imagined person is drinking a soda with ice in it
But how can I explain
The artist is still struggling to articulate something
My meaninglessnesses?
This time, the thing the singer is having trouble explaining is feelings of meaninglessness
You try to hold my hand
Someone is trying to physically comfort the singer
And now it's raining.
It has started to rain
Like a cake failed
Something failed or didn't turn out well
A recent email
This failure may have been related to an email
It's traffic on your street.
There is traffic on the street of the person the singer is addressing
I'm open to suggestion
The artist is willing to consider ideas or recommendations
On how to spend my cash
The singer is asking for advice on how to use their money
And how to waste your day.
The singer is suggesting that the other person should use their time poorly
I'm not looking for suggestion
The singer is now asserting that they don't want advice
On how to spend my cash
Despite this, the artist repeats their request for advice on how to use their money
And how to waste your day.
The artist repeats their suggestion that the other person should use their time poorly
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Christian Brewer, Connor Smith, Crispin Luke Taylor, Damon Brown, Edward John Saunders, Ermie Mckone, Nicko Peake-Jacko, Nicky Compton, Oisin Little
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind