Folk-influenced IRE/UK Rock: James Yorkston & the Athletes' Moving Up Country

James Yorkston and the Athletes’ 2002 album Moving Up Country follows the thoughts surrounding a new love, and maybe an old love, and maybe wanting the old love but already having a new love. In all of these thoughts about relationships, Yorkston’s characters call on many different sources for help.

“St. Patrick” is a prayer to the patron saint of Ireland, a prayer for a thirst to be quenched, a love to fill the need in the heart.

Wanting to run away from the crowd, run away together with a love, the character in “Sweet Jesus” says, “As I believe in fate and you’re a sucker for the stars/I’m sure we’ve got Sweet Jesus on our side, singing Sweet Sweet Jesus when will she be mine?”

Losing the love, there’s an honest prayer in “Tender to the Blues”: “And I pray for your health and your peace of mind/but God must know I just want you by my side.”

Then comes the track I first heard on an Uncut sampler, the semi-title track with an intriguing look at the role of God in a relationship. “Moving Up Country, Roaring the Gospel” has a swaggering lilt complete with harmonica from James. The Gospel (“Good News”) here is falling into a sentimental relationship. “It’s Jesus in the morning and there’s colour in your cheeks.”

Is that the comparison—being in this relationship, waking up together in the morning, is like Jesus, like the joy of the Gospel? I’m open to other thoughts on this verse. See the end of this post for the entire verse.

Calling on many sources for help, there is a searching here for love, commitment, companionship, and security. That search finds comfort in the Folk-influenced IRE/UK Rock. While many times Yorkston puts me in mind of the American West, a mining town somewhere, or maybe even better yet—the hills of Applachia, Yorkston’s English influences can’t be denied. It’s Americana through the hills of Scotland.

This is front porch music at a lake home in the hills. This is friends sitting up discussing relationships, love, and wanting that close-knit feeling between friends never to go away. This is kicking back, rocking together at the farmhouse (the album was mainly recorded at Cavers Knowes Farmhouse, Hawick). This is the kind of music that you want to take home at night; this is the kind of music that you want to wake up with in the morning.

For more, see www.dominorecordco.com or www.jamesyorkston.co.uk Thanks to Chris at Domino for the help.


From “Moving Up Country, Roaring the Gospel”
Because we’re moving up country, roaring the gospel
Cleaning the sugar is not too far away
It’s Jesus in the morning and there’s colour in your cheeks
I’ve never been prouder, than how you look today.

Email me or Comment below with your thoughts about this verse. Jesus=being in this relationship?