Funny thing about Alt-J’s “Left Hand Free,” which is hardly the art-rock outfit’s typical fare: They recorded the almost Black Keys-y single as a shrugged-off fuck-you/appeasement to their U.S. label, Atlantic. As singer joe Newman told Guardian, “I say, ‘Gee whizz,’ which I’m not sure is a phrase I’ve ever uttered before. I can imagine it appealing to American truckers with ‘Good Riddance To Bin Laden’ stickers.” Now that odd but effective song has a highly appropriate video. Seen above, the Ryan Staake-directed clip features cattle, trucks, beer, tubing, dogs, fireworks, quads, tattoos, pool, bad haircuts, and hot rods — just an apple pie short of a full American deck. But as Stereogum points out, the footage is beautifully shot, and the moments captured are evocative. Watch above, and stay tuned for Alt-J’s sophomore LP This Is All Yours, due out September 22.
Alt-J Capture Quad Races and Cliff Dives in ‘Left Hand Free’ Video
