A list of cultural/other references in alt-J's songs
An Awesome Wave:
Breezeblocks - Where the Wild Things Are
Matilda - Matilda from Léon: The Professional and "The Wrote and the Writ" by Johnny Flynn
Fitzpleasure - Tralala from Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr.
Bloodflood - American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Taro - Gerda Taro and Robert Capa
This Is All Yours:
Intro - M.C. Escher and “Protect Ya Neck” by the Wu-Tang Clan
Nara - Nara, Japan, Blue Is the Warmest Color, “Petrol Blues” by the Rolling Stones, Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, and Alvan E. Bovay
Every Other Freckle - The Minpins by Roald Dahl and The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Left Hand Free - The Parable of the Prodigal Son from the Bible
Garden of England - Kent, England
Choice Kingdom - “Rule, Britannia!” by James Thomson and Thomas Arne
Hunger of the Pine - “4x4” by Miley Cyrus and "L’espoir en Dieu (Hope in God)" by Alfred de Musset
Warm Foothills - Elegy for Iris by John Bayley
The Gospel of John Hurt - the chestburster scene from Alien, Jeremiah from the Bible, and the game Tetris
Pusher - the red-billed quelea
Bloodflood Pt. II - a followup to Bloodflood; American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, Tralala from Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr., and "Sound of da Police" by Krs-One
Lovely Day - a cover of “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers
Relaxer:
3WW - bronze statue of Juliet Capulet in Verona, Italy
In Cold Blood - In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons
House of the Rising Sun - alt-J’s interpretation of the classic folk song “House of the Rising Sun”, most famously recorded by The Animals
Hit Me Like That Snare - Poppers (alkyl nitrate) and A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead
Deadcrush - Lee Miller, Anne Boleyn, and Sylvia Plath
Adeline - Tasmanian devil and “The Auld Triangle” by Dicky Shannon, recorded/released under the name “Royal Canal” by The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem
Pleader - How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn
Sources: Interview about An Awesome Wave
I only did songs that were on studio albums. If there are any corrections/anything I should add, please let me know! :)
Posted Oct 18, 2017, 4:00 PM UTC · edited