Jens
Be As Good To Others As They Are Not To You
'Be As Good To Others As They Are Not To You' starts as a mystery. A piece of tangible vinyl with often transient and evanescent content; sound appearing and fading such that you can lose certainty as to whether it emanates from the record or from out in the street. The music measured and atmospheric; a rural psychedelia on the cusp between folk and country; gnomic lyrics, meditating on loss as a stage in the cycle of nature, with a strong impression of a patient, unforced gestation. The sleeve has a stark beauty; the front being a fine piece of John Hurford frontier art, akin to that of Jeff Horsey's 'Rattlesnakes And Heartstrings.' There is no legend and nothing on the spine either. The back shows two rustic, bearded gentlemen with small guitar, a pump organ, and an ancient zither; there are song titles but they're barely decipherable. This pair are Jens Unossun and Arne Jonasson. Jens is a founder member of The Spacious Mind, a notable Swedish ensemble who, for nigh on three decades, have been releasing memorable psychedelic music. They famously accompanied Tom Rapp, of Pearls Before Swine, at his Terrastock appearance in London in 1999. Jonasson is a regular collaborator with Jens on such side-trips as The Holy River Family Band. They're the sole performers on six of the eight tracks here; Jens singing and playing keyboards, Arne on various stringed instruments, and both adding percussion. The other two - 'Sweet Home Blues (Redneck Dumbfuck Blues)' and 'Green Was The Day (Bottom Of The Well)' - see them joined by the Head Country Hoedowners - Snosun and Aarnson Jones, Black Owl, and Dave Hell - and the presence of these acclaimed purveyors of outlaw mutation boogie signal changes in mood. The Jones Brothers also serve as producers and arrangers.