There Is An Ocean That Divides and With My Longing I Can Charge It With A Voltage Thats So Violent To Cross It Could Mean Death

rough trade exclusive - 'there is an ocean that divides and with my longing i can charge it with a voltage thats so violent to cross it could mean death' - if you have ex-pat australian scott matthew's second album in your hands, then the first impression is the 'guinness book of records' like title. in contrast to his simply self-titled first album, the record's title is characteristic of the new material. in the hope of not sounding pretentious, the title serves as a symbol of a more detailed approach, as well as conveying age-old themes of longing, love and loss. starting as a poem, scott tried in vain to set these words to a melody. he invited his piano player and collaborator on the song 'there is an ocean that divides' marisol limon martinez to whisper the words along with native japanese speaker chie tanaka. the result was one of the most impressive moments on the album. consequently, 'there is an ocean that divides' deserved to be in a place of such prominence. it seems as though there is an organic development to each song, a natural growth which gives them ease. stylistically, the album seems more diverse with a broader spectrum of influences without losing the strengths of the acclaimed first album. brass and bold string arrangements, a choir and a few mid-tempo songs are featured along with the expected intimate folk-inspired moments. on glitterhouse.