The Young'uns - When Our Grandfathers Said No (2016)

Tracklist

01. Another Storm
02. The Chemical Worker's Song
03. The Battle of Stockton
04. Roll Down
05. Harbour Voice
06. One December Morn
07. Love in a Northern Town
08. Pique La Baleine
09. Rolling Down to Rio
10. You Can Close Your Eyes
11. Wild Goose


For When Our Grandfathers Said No, their fourth album, The Young’uns have delivered a selection of sea shanties and work songs that place them as one of the finest exponents of northern English folk songs. Hailing from Stockton, The Young ‘Uns produce beautiful three part harmonies, reminiscent of an older time when workingmen sang their songs both to and from work and songs were a part of everyday community and family life. With sparse accompaniment by accordion, piano and guitar, the vocals weave around each other with dramatic effect creating austere images, for this listener at least, of Christmas, sailor choirs and the pale looms of the Victorian workhouse. Not every listener may associate the music with such images and perhaps to speak of such things is to misconstrue the record, which is aiming at modern re-tellings and breathing new life into the folk song tradition of northern England. However, this music is evocative, it is cinematic (the vocal arrangements at the end of ‘The Battle of Stockton’ being a fine example) and indeed, there is a nod to the sparseness of winter in ‘One December Morn’. The Young ‘Uns approach is unapologetically traditionalist but offers a bold and refreshing take on English folk music.

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