Us - Everything Changes


Year of Release: 2009
Label: Independent
Catalog Number:
Format: CD
Total Time: 61:52:00

In this day and age it is not easy to be a musician. Let's be honest: the days when you could get rich from music are over, given the few extremely commercial business ... eerrr ... musicians. But for progressive rock musicians, these are not the easiest times. Therefore I am absolutely proud and happy if musicians keep on going. One band, or at this moment, musician, that still goes on, is Us.

Us has a long history that dates back to 1975, then under the name Saga (not the same as the Canadian band Saga!). In 2003 I reviewed their second release, Eamon's Day, which blew me away. Since then, the band had to deal with technical problems, personnel changes and people leaving, but still managed to release four more albums. Now, in 2009, only founding member Jos Wernars remains. But that does not hold him from making music.

So now we have the 7th Us album: Everything Changes; in my opinion an aptly chosen title. And on this album he does everything by himself, with some help of Marijke Wernars.

Despite the name, one thing did not change: the familiar Us sound. And I think that is a good thing, as I really enjoy the atmosphere Jos creates with his music. I enjoyed that since the first time I heard them. The keyboards play a very important part in the music. And yes, the Tony Banks/Genesis influences are still there. But I find them a part of the sound of Us.

Us brings a mellow sound that breathes a 70s atmosphere, with a lot of variety and great musicianship. That Jos Wernars is a multi instrumentalist is already quite obvious in the opening song "The Rules Of The Game." Beautiful guitars and brooding synths are joined in an epic song that clocks almost 17 minutes! Wernars manages to keep the song interesting, as there are many musical details to be discovered.

Everything Changes holds 7 tracks, but are basically 4 lengthy songs and 3 smaller songs, that clock around one minute. These are called "After This," "After That" and "After All," and they are mainly used to link the various songs and themes to eachother. Personally I do not find these tracks add much to the songs, but as a whole, it sounds nice.

The second song of interest is "The Golden Zone," a track with a bit of a bite to it, as there is some heavier guitar work in this one. The title track is probably my favourite of the album, very melodic, with some fantastic guitar work. Here Marijke Wernars joins in on the vocals, which sounds quite nice.

The closing track, "When The Deep Looks Back," is another epic length song. A lot is happening in this song, but I find it a little bit too busy for my ears. It does not have the calm and atmosphere of the rest of the album. Fortunately the second half of the song makes up, as it settles a bit and there is still plenty to enjoy.

Overall I find Everything Changes a very good album and a nice one to listen to. Jos Wernars is not the best singer, but for some reason his voice fits the sound and mood of the albums. The artwork is quite nice, the images could have walked away from an online computer game. But they make for a very nice album cover. I still hope Us might become a band once more and find a good producer, as that will only improve the quality of the sound. But as a one man effort, I think Jos Wernars deserves a lot of credit for putting together a great album!


Tracklisting:
The Rules Of The Game (16:41)/ After This (0:56)/ The Golden Zone (9:36) / After That (1:06) / Everything Changes (8:49) / After All (1:39) / When The Deep Looks Back (16:38)

Musicians:
Jos Wernars - all instruments and vocals
Marijke Wernars - vocals

Discography:
Saga - To Whom It Concerns (1975/6)
The Wizzard Of Us (ltd. edition demo) (1990s)
A Sorrow In Our Hearts (2002)
Eamon''s Day (2003)
The Ghost of Human Kindness (2004)
The Young and the Restless (2006)
Reflections (2007)
Climbing Mount Improbable (2008)
Everything Changes (2009)
Feeding The Crocodile (2010)
The Road Less Travelled (2011)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin NL

Added: December 27th 2009
Reviewer: Marcel Haster
Score:
Artist website: www.the-music-of-us.com
Hits: 3039
Language: english

  

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