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
Dissolve Me
alt-J Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 sound the sea makes to calm me down
I am see-through, soap sliver you're 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 sound the sea makes to calm me down
She makes the sound, the sound the sea makes. I'm tired now
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
She makes the sound the sea makes, knee-deep in the North Sea
She makes the sound the sea makes, knee-deep in the North Sea
She makes the sound the sea makes, knee-deep in the North Sea
She makes the sound the sea makes, knee-deep in the North Sea
She makes the sound the sea makes, knee-deep in the North Sea
She makes the sound the sea makes, knee-deep in the North Sea
She makes the sound the sea makes, knee-deep in the North Sea
She makes the sound the sea makes, knee-deep in the North Sea
The lyrics of Alt-J's "Dissolve Me" paint a vivid picture of a couple seeking comfort, solace, and a release from reality through drugs and physical intimacy. The first two lines "Now dissolve me, two tabs on your tongue" refer to taking LSD or acid. The couple seeks to "herd the sheep and sleep" is a metaphor for finding a way to escape everyday mundane life through the use of drugs. The reference to "Broken sweethearts, who sleep apart/ Both still pine for the other's side spine, spoon as sleep starts" represents a romantic relationship that has been broken apart but still yearns for their partner's embrace.
The couple wants to lose themselves in each other's embrace, seeking comfort and escape from the reality of their lives. The line "She makes the sound, the sound the sea makes to calm me down" denotes a reference to the power of the sea to calm and soothe one's troubled soul. The "pulse to pulse" and "shushing" signify that they want to be lost in each other's company without any disturbance. The lyrics further detail the couple's desire to forget themselves and become "see-through" through sexual intimacy that renders them as transparent and somewhere between disintegration and transcendence.
The song concludes with repetitive lines, "She makes the sound the sea makes, knee-deep in the North Sea," capturing the chorus line's perfect synthesis between the emotional and the physical aspect of the couple's relationship. The lines signify that the couple is seeking to drown themselves in the healing and rejuvenating power of the sea, which has been immortalized in several works of literature as a calming and restorative force.
Line by Line Meaning
Now dissolve me, two tabs on your tongue
Take me away with you by giving me two tabs of a psychedelic drug
A herd of shepherds to herd the sheep, sleep now my only one
We are like sheep being herded by our leaders, but now it's time to sleep
Broken sweethearts, who sleep apart
We are two people in love who are separated
Both still pine for the other's side spine, spoon as sleep starts
We both miss each other's embrace and the feeling of sleeping next to each other
And pulse to pulse, now shush
Let's be quiet and feel our heartbeats together
She makes the sound, the sound the sea makes to calm me down
Her voice has a calming effect on me, like the sound of the sea
I am see-through, soap sliver you're thin
I feel vulnerable and exposed, while you are delicate like a sliver of soap
As I begin rubbing lathers up your state worsens on my skin
As I wash you, you become more distressed and upset
And gold, fatless finger to lip, one two three four hush
I put my finger to your lips to signal for silence
She makes the sound, the sound the sea makes. I'm tired now
Her voice continues to calm me down, but now I am feeling tired
She makes the sound the sea makes, knee-deep in the North Sea
She has the same calming effect on me as the sound of the sea, even though we are separated and in different locations
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Augustus Figaro Niso Unger-Hamilton, Gwilym David Dylan Sainsbury, Joe Jerome Newman, Thomas Stuart Green
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sʌʀ Pʜɩʀʌ Bʜʋtto
on Every Other Freckle
nice
Zonnebloem Flower
on Every Other Freckle
sweet.
Jose Helder Peres Serrano
on Every Other Freckle
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