Various – Sunny Spells (Ltd. Col 7” EP)

Four song EP out now! A taster for Fruits de Mer's epic 3CD compilation set for release next spring!

One of the finest compilations from recent times must surely be Fruits de Mer's The Three Seasons – Songs from 1966-68, featuring all your favourite psych-friendly bands covering their most-loved '60s tracks. If you missed it first time round, the good news is the label is releasing an extended 3CD version next year. Re-titled The Four Seasons 1966-69 it will contain all the tracks that made the original 3LP set such a joy, along with a bunch of new recordings. As a taster of things to come this four-song 7” extended player is available from the label as of right now. The artists featured are Chad & Jeremy, Schizo Fun Addict, Hanford Flyover and Us And Them. 
 

Sixties legends Chad & Jeremy give us an acoustic re-recording of 'Rest In Peace', a track originally featured on their 1967 album Of Cabbages And Kings. Schizo Fun Addict offer up a dreamy psychedelic take on 'Dedicated To The One I Love', a classic track originally by the Mamas and Papas. Hanford Flyover are a new band to me, as is the band they've chosen to cover (Neon Pearl). On the strength of their track on the EP, a stately and elegant slice of folk-rock, both bands warrant further investigation. You can find out more on Hanford Flyover via their Bandcamp page. Regular readers of this 'ere blog may be familiar with Swedish duo Us And Them. For this record they've recorded a fabulously mellow version of Neil Young's 'What Did You Do To My Life?' 

I know we've only just put the clocks back but spring ain't that far away. And with the promise up a new compilation from FdM there's something else along with warmer days and brighter nights to look forward to. Bring it on!

TRACKLISTING

1. Chad & Jeremy – 'Rest In Peace'

2. Schizo Fun Addict – 'Dedicated To The One I Love'

3. Hanford Flyover – 'Just Another Day'

4. Us And Them – 'What Did You Do To My Life'

Click here for Fruits de Mer Records.

Us and Them - On Shipless Ocean

Second LP from Swedish acid-folk duo! Gentle electronica, glacial vocals and Robert Kirby-esque strings!

Us and Them are Britt Rönnholm and Anders Håkanson, a musical duo from Sweden who make beautiful, soft and fragile acid-tinged folk. We've featured their music several times before on HD, most recently when they released 'When I Was Walking', a limited edition 7” single on Mega Dodo Records early last year. Their music is perfect for quiet reflection and seems fitting that as we approach the high summer solstice and the turning of the year's tide they're back with a full-length LP also released by the increasingly reliable Mega Dodo label. On Shipless Ocean is Us and Them's strongest and most confident release to date.

The pair's primary influences are never far from the surface – musically there's Sandy Denny and Vashti Bunyan, subject and theme-wise there's Northern Europe's natural world of climate, weather and the elements. Listen deeper however and there's more to heard - Echoes of Angelo Badalamenti's Twin Peaks theme in album opener 'The Trees and the Sky Above', and a gentle smattering of ghostly electronica throughout. For all the ethereal beauty there's also a constant worldliness best evidenced on 'A New Life' which offers dignified lyrical stock-take of everyday emotions.

Us and Them's previous releases have contained cover versions, most notably the 10” tribute to Sandy Denny which came out of Fruits de Mer a few years back. On Shipless Ocean is more centred on original tracks but does contain one cover, an expansive ten minute version on Kevin Ayers' 'Lady Rachel' where the muted electronica meets exquisite finger-picked guitar. Other highlights include 'Changes and Choices' where the albums instrumental palette expands with various shades of woodwind, and 'Tail', a nine-minute opus complete with Robert Kirby-esque strings.

Fans of any of the artists mentioned will find in Us and Them new torchbearers for the sort of acid-tinged folk that gets more resonant with each passing year. For a sound that supposedly only shone briefly in the late sixties/early seventies it's proved its resilience and Us and Them make fine modern-day custodians.

Vinyl lovers will surely want to get hold of the 180-gram aqua marine coloured version, limited to 300 copies only.

Click here for more on Us and Them.

Click here for Us and Them on Facebook.

Click here for Mega Dodo Records.

Us and Them - When I Was Walking / Green Couch (Ltd. 7")

Ultra rare 7” of modern day acid-folk!

Hot on the heels of their recent Sandy Denny tribute EP on Fruits de Mer, Us and Them release this brand new 7” on the equally fab label Mega Dodo Records. This time round they've featured two of their own songs – 'When I Was Walking' and 'Green Couch'. The Swedish duo don't disappoint. Soft, beautiful and timeless. Two tracks that could melt the iciest of hearts. As the world heads into the unknowable and unpredictable future it's comforting to have such stellar music. Check out the video for 'When I Was Walking' and lose yourself in its beguiling power.

It's a very limited release so if you want to get a copy don't hang about! Available as a limited edition of 150 green vinyl copies for Mega Dodo Singles Club members with another 150 copies on black vinyl for everyone else.

Click here for more on Us and Them.

Click here for Us and Them on Facebook.

Click here for Mega Dodo Records.

TRACKLISTING

When I Was Walking

Green Couch

Us and Them - Fading Within The Dwindling Sun (10")

Swedish duo's tribute to Sandy Denny!

This coloured 10” vinyl is out now on Fruits de Mer Records. It's a five-track tribute to Sandy Denny featuring three Denny-penned tracks and two more songs she made her own. Anyone doubting that Us and Them can due justice to the music of Sandy Denny need only check out the 7” they released a couple of years back which contained a sterling cover of 'By The Time It Gets Dark'.

As we approach the solstice, the sun is dwindling it does indeed get dark early. I can't think of a better soundtrack for to accompany the midwinter stillness. My advice – avoid the High Street madness, do your shoppong online (from Fruits de Mer reputable mail order service), find a quiet spot and let this music take its effect. It's a perfect piece of wintry folk, and another jewel in the Fruits de Mer catalogue. Just right for those moments of quiet reflection, when you take stock of the preceeding year and charge your batteries for the next 12 months. Have a great solstice everyone.

TRACKLISTING

Winter Winds

Farewell, Farewell

Next Time Around

Banks Of The Nile

Take Away The Load

Click here for more on Us and Them.
Click here for Us and Them on Facebook.

Click here for Fruits de Mer Records.

Us And Them - By The Time It Gets Dark (Ltd 7")

Three track 7” of psych-folk loveliness from Sweden. Limited coloured vinyl release from Fruits De Mer Records.

It's a brave act that dares to cover a Sandy Denny classic. Sweden's Us And Them have done just that with their version of “By The Time It Gets Dark”. Sandy's late night thoughts and reflections are re-visited with a simple acoustic arrangement of guitar, xylophone, a light keyboard wash and closely mic-ed breathy vocals. It's this version's taste and simplicity that marks it out as something rather special and a fitting tribute to one of the country's greatest ever singers.

The EP's other cover ventures into a more surreal world, it being a version of Donovan's “Jabberwocky”. The Lewis Carroll prose which Donovan set to music for his HMS Donovan album has lost none of its childlike appeal. Daft, yes, but offset by a sinister darkness. Like the best psychedelia, it has that blend of venturing into the mysterious of the unknown while simultaneously returning to the sanctuary and security of early childhood. A comforting darkness as it were.

The EP's sole original track is the biggest revelation here, and the stands up with the two cover versions. “Do I Know You” is, if anything it's even more potent than the other tracks. With a simple nursery rhyme acid-folk tune evolving into a folktronic, slightly Krautrock middle section before returning to the ethereal folkiness of the opening section. Here's hoping for a full album of original material from Us And Them soon.

Click here for more on Fruits De Mer Records.