Us and Them - On Shipless Ocean

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 29 / 6 / 2018

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I’ve lost count of the different strains of folk music that now exist. Swedish duo Britt Rönnholm and Anders Håkansson have, since their inception as Us and Them, been labeled as part of the psychedelic folk scene. While that was a fitting description in their early days the duo deserve more than that tag. They’ve actually developed their own little niche; while still steeped in some kind of folk music the sound they produce on their second full-length album, ‘On Shipless Ocean’, is pure Us And Them despite a few nods, especially in Britt’s vocals, to a couple of 60's folk icons. But to backtrack slightly, there was a limited edition single released in April as a taster for this album. It featured just one song that appears on the album, ‘From the Corner of My Eye’. The flip side was a cover version of ‘The Iron Maiden’ that originally appeared on the first Barclay James Harvest album. Then, in keeping with label Mega Dodo’s usual quirky releases, a download was also available of two songs, ‘When Life Begins’ is a Us and Them original and the second song is a version of Bowie’s ‘All the Madmen’. Those who have heard Us and Them cover songs before will be aware that they don’t actually cover songs as they tend to deconstruct them and rebuild them in a new, totally unexpected shape. Although the Barclay James Harvest cover isn’t so radically different from the original, Bowie’s ‘All the Madmen’ is given an inspired makeover while the original ‘When Life Begins’ is lovely, classic Us and Them. If this limited edition single and download is still available fans would be well advised to check it out. It appears there’s been a slight but noticeable shift in sound; it’s even more textured now, deeper maybe and as a taster for the album it’s worth trying to tack down a copy. ‘On Shipless Ocean’ opens with ‘The Trees and the Sky Above’ and it’s unlikely you will hear a more beautiful song this year. “Now I’m here again/A year has passed me by since then,” sings Britt and memories of early Marianne Faithfull crossed with Nico immediately come to mind. Britt’s crystal clear, innocent vocals sound even more delicate when accompanied by the violin and some beautiful guitar sounds from Anders. It’s a stunning opening and bodes well for what is to follow. The single ‘From the Corner of My Eye’ is track number two, taken at a funereal pace with strings and organ; Britt’s breathless vocals sound at once both vulnerable and strong. I’ve mentioned this before but hearing this song confirms my thoughts; while Us and Them are not alone in pursuing this form of music they are masters at it and part of the reason for that is their surroundings and background. Music this thoughtful, this affecting, that has an aura of unsettling beauty hanging over every sound and word can only be made in one country, the one that Us and Them call home. Forget Eurovision and dansband, this is the Sound of Sweden. I’ve already had to change my mind about what I wrote about the album a few minutes ago: that opening song isn’t the most beautiful song you’ll hear this year because the third song ‘A New Life’ is. It’s Britt at her most bewitching vocally and features a gentle melody that is simply gorgeous. The slight electronic touches simply add to the mystery. It’s a stunning piece of work. ‘Lady Rachel’ is a cover of the Kevin Ayers song. Not that you’d notice initially. It’s given the full Us and Them treatment. They’ve just taken the skeleton of the original to work on and twisted the song into a creation of their own. Electronica plays a major part in the transformation. Spoken word passages add an eeriness to the song which makes it almost unrecognizable to the version we’ve heard before. At ten minutes in length it’s twice as long as the original but not a second is less than fascinating. What is it with this duo and the Harvest label catalogue just now? But if they create such inventive pieces of music from their favourite bands' back-catalogue then let’s hope they carry on doing so. ‘People Like Us’ is another almost whispered pretty ballad, ‘Time’ has an almost childlike feel about it, and you’ll be humming the chorus for the rest of the week. ‘Extract from the 17th November’ is a short instrumental full of sound effects that leaves the listener wishing the duo had let us stay just a little longer that day. ‘Tail’ closes the album (if you get the vinyl version). and it’s another epic track clocking in at around the ten-minute mark. It’s a slow build and because of its length takes full advantage of the shadows and light that inform all the duo’s music. It’s obviously not as instant as some of the shorter tracks, but one that draws you in and which in time will display its beauty in full. The CD, which is also available as a special limited edition hardback digipak complete with linen cover, features two bonus tracks tagged on after ‘Tail’. ‘She is Not Me’ and ‘We are Not Alone’ would have been better placed elsewhere on the CD. As it is these shorter songs playing after the epic ‘Tail’ lose some of their impact. That’s not to say that they are not worthy of the album, but they deserve to be part of the main album. Maybe the restriction of playing time on the vinyl is why they have been added at the end of the CD. Needless to say if you’re an Us and Them fan you need these bonus tracks. ‘On Shipless Ocean’ contains some of Us and Them’s most fascinating and rewarding work to date and comes highly recommended.

Track Listing:-

1 The Trees & The Sky Above
2 From The Corner Of My Eye
3 A New Life
4 Lady Rachel
5 Changes & Choices
6 People Like Us
7 Time
8 Extract From The 17th Of November
9 Tail

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/usandthemmusic/
http://www.usandthem.se/

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