The first thing to know about alt-J is that the band’s name is not alt-J.  If you simultaneously press the “Option” key on your Mac, which also serves as the “alt” key, while pressing the letter “J”, you get the symbol ∆.  That’s the upper case Greek letter Delta, and in an Artist Formerly Known as Prince way, that’s the band’s name. And a triangle makes a great hand sign to hold up at concerts.

Now on to the music. The band released its second album, “This Is All Yours”, in September.  ∆ puts out some pretty eclectic music, but they found their way to a catchy hit with “Left Hand Free”. Check it out and then listen to “Choice Kingdom” to get a feel for the range of material on the album.

TV on the Radio generates an eclectic mix of their own and put out their fifth album, “Seeds”, in November.   Whether you’re a skateboarder or not, you’ll get a kick out of the song and the video for “Lazerray”.  The credits at the end give the names of all the skateboarders and, in a nod to the uncomfortable future, to the drone operator.

While not big chart toppers, the band had a minor hit a few years back with “Will Do”. Nice song with a video featuring what may have been a bad Google Glass prototype.

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