They recorded their new album at Realworld Studios and this led them to be picked by Peter Gabriel and Real World to be a featured artist on B&W's Society of Sound, joining previous artists such as The Unthanks and Portico Quartet.
Having previously performed at The Big Chill, Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, Wychwood, and 2000 Trees, their touring has seen them play alongside the likes of The Travelling Band, The Staves, Stornoway and Basia Bulat, and among their plaudits they have been selected as a highlight pick by the The Independent in their top ten gigs of the week and described as 'Sweepingly memorable' by Metro and 'Terrifically atmospheric' by the Telegraph.
Urusen combine something intrinsically British with great contemporary American bands such as Midlake or The National, and an array of instruments are woven underneath rousing harmonies into the band's folk rock-tinged songs. You cannot help but to be drawn in by their lyrical story-telling style, stirring delivery and their beautiful melodies and harmonies.
New album 'This Is Where We Meet' is due out in Summer 2012, and is available to pre order at http://urusen.bandcamp.com
Wonderland
Urusen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too soon to hold a hand
I sometimes think she’s living in a dream
Tell all the pretty girls
Their minds in other worlds
I’ve only seen it on the silver screen
A line that’s taken from a page
You’re standing on a wire
Up by the reservoir
But you don’t seem to feel the breeze at all
Not even sure you know
If just one tiny blow
Should kiss your side then you would fall
And all the playground games we played
The child dares don’t go away
I never said you couldn’t understand
I just said you live in a wonderland
And if you tumble and fall back down to earth
I’ll still be standing here
Her words like dying vines
Lost all their vital signs
The twisting of the whisper’s such a shame
The friends all told their friends
The meanings got the bends
And never once did they return the same
And when they finally reached the end
They came back round to her again
I never said you couldn’t understand
I just said you live in a wonderland
And if you tumble and fall back down to earth
I’ll still be standing here
The lyrics to Urusen's song Wonderland describe a relationship between two individuals where one person is able to see the reality of the situation while the other is living in a fantasy world. The singer expresses frustration and a sense of helplessness towards their significant other who is lost in their own thoughts and cannot seem to grasp the gravity of their situation. The opening lines, "Too late to understand, too soon to hold a hand" suggest that the singer is torn between wanting a deeper emotional connection with their partner and feeling like they have missed the chance.
The lines "I sometimes think she’s living in a dream, tell all the pretty girls their minds in other worlds, I’ve only seen it on the silver screen" imply that the person they are addressing is not the only one who is detached from reality, but rather, a common trait among many individuals. The lyrics continue, "not even sure you know, if just one tiny blow should kiss your side then you would fall" further emphasize the fragility of their partner's state of mind and the potential danger of their delusion. The softly sung chorus "I never said you couldn’t understand, I just said you live in a wonderland, and if you tumble and fall back down to earth, I’ll still be standing here" suggests that the singer is still supportive of their partner despite their disconnect from reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Too late to understand
It's too late to comprehend what's happening in the present moment.
Too soon to hold a hand
It's too early to seek comfort in another person's embrace.
I sometimes think she’s living in a dream
The person being referred to seems to have a detachment from reality, as if living in a dream world.
Tell all the pretty girls
Addressing all the attractive women around.
Their minds in other worlds
Their thoughts are elsewhere, away from reality.
I’ve only seen it on the silver screen
The only place where such beautiful things exist is in movies.
A line that’s taken from a page
A statement or quote that's taken from a book or any other source of information.
Turns into something you would say
The borrowed phrase becomes a part of your own speech.
You’re standing on a wire
You're in a precarious situation, like balancing on a wire.
Up by the reservoir
Near the water storage facility.
But you don’t seem to feel the breeze at all
You're so preoccupied that you don't even feel the natural environment around you.
Not even sure you know
You're not even certain whether you're conscious or in a dreamlike state.
If just one tiny blow
If just one minor misfortune happens.
Should kiss your side then you would fall
You would lose balance and fall down from the wire.
And all the playground games we played
All the fun games we used to play in our childhood.
The child dares don’t go away
The playful spirit of our childhood still lingers within us.
I never said you couldn’t understand
I never said you're not capable of comprehending things.
I just said you live in a wonderland
I just said that your perspective of reality is like living in a fairytale world.
And if you tumble and fall back down to earth
If you suddenly encounter the harsh realities of life.
I’ll still be standing here
I'll always be here to back you up and support you.
Her words like dying vines
Her words are losing their vitality and are becoming lifeless, just like decaying vines.
Lost all their vital signs
Her words have lost all their life force and are no longer vibrant.
The twisting of the whisper’s such a shame
The messengers' twisting of her words is regretful and unfortunate.
The friends all told their friends
Her friends spread the distorted messages to their own circle of friends.
The meanings got the bends
The meaning of her words got bent and distorted in the process of gossiping.
And never once did they return the same
Her words were never conveyed back to her the same way they were originally spoken.
And when they finally reached the end
And when the distorted messages finally reached the end, the source still remained unaware and unenlightened.
They came back round to her again
The distorted messages finally made their way back to her, but they were so far removed from reality that their original meaning was lost.
Contributed by James W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.