Unger-Hamilton studied English Literature; the other three Fine Art. In their second year of studies, Newman showed Sainsbury a handful of his own songs inspired by his guitar-playing dad and hallucinogens, and the pair began recording in their dorm rooms with Sainsbury acting as producer on Garageband.
First as Daljit Dhaliwal and then as Films, they spent the next two years playing around town. Their eponymous first 4-track demo ∆, was recorded with producer Charlie Andrew in London and included early versions of "Breezeblocks", "Hand-Made", "Matilda" and "Tessellate".
Their first 2012 release for Infectious was the triangle shaped 7" "Matilda" / "Fitzpleasure", followed by "Breezeblocks" as an advance of their first album An Awesome Wave, released on 25 May 2012. That same year, they won the prestigious Barclaycard Mercury Prize for An Awesome Wave.
On January 2014, Sainsbury announced that he had left the band. "Hunger of the Pine" was released in June, with an accompanying video. Their second record, This is All Yours was released in September 2014.
On 6 March 2017 alt-J released "3WW", which features lead singer Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice, as a digital single and announced dates for the Relaxer Tour in support of the album. Three weeks later, on 29 March, they released "In Cold Blood", the second single from Relaxer.On 24 May 2017 alt-J released "Adeline", the third single from Relaxer. The album was released shortly afterwards, on 2 June 2017.
On September 28, 2018 an alternative version of Relaxer was released. The album, titled REDUXER, is a "rap heavy do-over" of the previous year's record
http://altjband.com
Choice Kingdom
alt-J Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Their voice hear them
Our choice kingdom, oh
Oh
Your choice kingdom
Our voice crowns men
Our choice kingdom, oh
Rule Britannia
Bright ideas hide in caves
Rule Britannia
Break a stock into a slave
Rule Britannia
Leave us planked before the graves
Rule Britannia
Ruler of the waves
Ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Choice Kingdom by alt-J appears to be a political commentary on the nature of society and the power dynamics associated with it. The repeated usage of the phrase "Our choice kingdom" appears to be a reference to the way society is governed, where the choices and decisions made by the leading voices in society, determine the direction in which it progresses. The phrase "Their voice hear them" could be a reference to how the voices of the masses are heard but seldom acted upon, indicating the predominance of the ruling classes.
The chorus also references "Rule Britannia," which is a well-known patriotic song in the United Kingdom, hailing the country's power and influence. The lyrics suggest that Britania rules the waves, which could point to the historical legacy of British colonialism and imperialism. The use of the words "break a stock into a slave" and "leave us planked before the graves" could also be a reference to the societal ills of poverty, exploitation, and death that are perpetuated by the ruling classes.
Overall, Choice Kingdom appears to be a socio-political commentary on the power dynamics that shape our society, emphasizing how the privileged few have the ability to shape the destiny of the masses. By referencing a patriotic anthem, the song highlights the deep-rooted nature of these class systems that continue to influence our society to this day.
Line by Line Meaning
Our choice kingdom
We have the power to choose and rule our own kingdom
Their voice hear them
We acknowledge those who have a say in our kingdom
Your choice kingdom
You also have the power to choose and rule your own kingdom
Our voice crowns men
Our words and opinions have the ability to elevate certain individuals in our society
Rule Britannia
The British empire holds power and influence
Bright ideas hide in caves
Innovative ideas are often hidden or repressed instead of being allowed to flourish
Break a stock into a slave
The power structure is designed to keep certain people in subservience and restrict their freedom
Leave us planked before the graves
We are left to struggle and suffer until our eventual death
Ruler of the waves
The British empire dominates the seas and exerts their power on other nations
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: AUGUSTUS UNGER HAMILTON, JOE NEWMAN, THOMAS GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Allison Ghost
"Choice Kingdom"
Your choice kingdom
Their voice hear them
Our choice kingdom
Your choice kingdom
Our voice crowns men
Our choice kingdom
Rule Britannia
Bright ideas hide in caves
Rule Britannia
Break a stock into a slave
Rule Britannia
Leave us planked before the graves
Rule Britannia
Ruler of the waves
BohFra
Per un po' mi sono dimenticato di voi.
Come un figlio che, quando cresce, prende la sua strada e s'allontana.
Ho creduto che ormai voi avevate fatto la vostra parte.
Che ormai ero cresciuto, ed era ora di andare.
"Mi avete accompagnato fino a qui", mi dicevo, "ora vado solo".
E così è stato, sono andato solo.
E senza voi era tutto un po' più buio, pure se alla fine mi sono abituato.
Ma quando sono arrivato in fondo alla strada, e vi ho visto li, aspettarmi, e subito capirmi, ho capito anch'io che il nostro viaggio non era ancora finito.
Ci ritroviamo, diversi, ma come sempre, pronti a camminare ancora insieme.
Tayana
Your choice kingdom
Their voice hear them
Our choice kingdom
Your choice kingdom
Our voice crowns men
Our choice kingdom
Rule Britannia
Bright ideas hide in caves
Rule Britannia
Break a stock into a slave
Rule Britannia
Leave us planked before the graves
Rule Britannia
Ruler of the waves
GhostCharacter
This is one of my favorite alt-j songs, because it expresses the whole complicated mess of feelings a moral person should have toward their country. If you're a citizen of a modern developed nation-state, you're part of a system that has exploited countless people and probably deliberately destabilized other sovereign states for the purpose of maintaining power or extracting resources. And you're also part of something that has created greater opportunities for peace and stability, for more people, than has ever been seen at any other period in history; something that has enabled rapid progress of scientific discovery, unprecedented availability of education, and tremendous development of art and culture. In me, that knowledge inspires a weird, shimmering mix of feelings--furious disgust and tremendous hope, burning shame and great pride. They don't cancel each other out--you can't fix murder with greatness--so I have to feel them both. And it's hard to hold all of that feeling and knowledge together in one statement. The statement would be at war with itself. And yet this song says all of it--and seems at peace. A horrified, proud, beautiful, peaceful, crestfallen song.
SoldierTom
GhostCharacter I’m guessing you are from the UK and votes Remain?
GhostCharacter
@SoldierTom You can probably tell from my spellings that I'm an American, but I lived in Britain very happily for a few years. But I think my sentiments are broadly applicable.
TheZandBeast
this is so true. This song makes me feel a mess of positive and negative thoughts about my country. It makes me feel uneasy but I still love listening to it.
johnson monkEman
Actually no. morality is realizing you don't have to be part of any of that, you are under as much domination and force as any other citizen- but you realize what is happening around you , what others permiss as normal. to them force and pain to reach goals are normal. good ideas don't require force, fuck the state and have a good day
Tiago Marques
The fact that this band consistently releases absolute masterpieces is beyond me
Argjend Ramallari
Bro ikr
Laura Rodriguez
6y later it’s still true
hippiecheezburger
This group is actually very deep and artistic, songs like these, I love their like gospel influence honestly. Something about their work is like holy and very meditative, like hymns, an album from them is like a sermon, but of course not everyone is down
Amanda Mc
alt j makes the type of music that you have on full blast while all the windows in your house are open and the curtains are blowing around from the wind. it makes me content