Sometimes With Others

»Nous« simply means »we« in French, and something far more complex in ancient Greek. Intellect, for example, or spirit – the capacity to grasp something with the mind and process it in thought. »NOUS« is also the name of the debut album by Sometimes With Others, the band comprising Swans member Kristof Hahn (lap steel guitar), Marie-Claire Schlameus (cello), Mika Bajinski (guitar, vocals) and Mick Harvey companion Yoyo Röhm (double bass). At times, it sounds as if Nico were jamming with Ry Cooder and Bohren & the Club of Gore, or if Nancy Sinatra were fronting the Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble – smoky, a bit tipsy and hopelessly lost in a tension between melancholy and euphoria. The group’s slo-mo grooves and multi-layered dronescapes not only spring from a collectivity – a »we« that moves forward according to its own laws – they also have the capacity to capture the mind and put thought to work.