The complexity of emotion and meaning translated through This Is All Yours surpasses all of my expectations. Alt-J creates a bridge between song and soul, forcing the listeners to consider the power of real emotion.
The album begins with “Intro,” containing few lyrics. The listener is eased into the power of Joe Newman’s voice. This song makes a bold statement about the limited effect of spoken words, forcing the listener to be more aware of sound throughout the rest of the album. Newman follows with “Arrival in Nara,” singing, “Though I cannot see I can hear her smile as she sings.”
Overall, Newman’s voice is fragile, as if his heavy words are sliding across thin ice. His voice mimics the delicacy of the emotions and politics conjured up in This Is All Yours. In “Nara,” the group advocates for gay rights, making bold, visual claims about raw emotion, such as, “Love is the warmest colour,” and, “Unpin your butterflies, Russia.” Whether the listener supports gay marriage or not is irrelevant. Either way, this song arouses strong emotions and forces the listener to consider the true meaning of love.
The group’s ability to fluidly convey a message is remarkable. In “Left Hand Free,” the irony of freedom is questioned. Newman sings, “Watch his right hand slip towards his gun, oh, no.” In “Choice Kingdom,” the group addresses Britannia, reminding he listener about past empire rule. By referencing an empire, the issue of gun control is complicated. We are forced to question whether the right to bear arms protects us from this type of rule or whether this right puts us at risk.
I strongly believe that they are not making statements about politics to further their own believes, but that they are using hot topics to elicit a powerful response from their listeners.
Even though This Is All Yours is compromised of individual tracks, they are kneaded together, forming one complete song. At the end of the album, I am left longing for the powerful emotions that only great music can evoke.
The album begins with “Intro,” containing few lyrics. The listener is eased into the power of Joe Newman’s voice. This song makes a bold statement about the limited effect of spoken words, forcing the listener to be more aware of sound throughout the rest of the album. Newman follows with “Arrival in Nara,” singing, “Though I cannot see I can hear her smile as she sings.”
Overall, Newman’s voice is fragile, as if his heavy words are sliding across thin ice. His voice mimics the delicacy of the emotions and politics conjured up in This Is All Yours. In “Nara,” the group advocates for gay rights, making bold, visual claims about raw emotion, such as, “Love is the warmest colour,” and, “Unpin your butterflies, Russia.” Whether the listener supports gay marriage or not is irrelevant. Either way, this song arouses strong emotions and forces the listener to consider the true meaning of love.
The group’s ability to fluidly convey a message is remarkable. In “Left Hand Free,” the irony of freedom is questioned. Newman sings, “Watch his right hand slip towards his gun, oh, no.” In “Choice Kingdom,” the group addresses Britannia, reminding he listener about past empire rule. By referencing an empire, the issue of gun control is complicated. We are forced to question whether the right to bear arms protects us from this type of rule or whether this right puts us at risk.
I strongly believe that they are not making statements about politics to further their own believes, but that they are using hot topics to elicit a powerful response from their listeners.
Even though This Is All Yours is compromised of individual tracks, they are kneaded together, forming one complete song. At the end of the album, I am left longing for the powerful emotions that only great music can evoke.