United Kingdoms is an experimental

Experimental music

Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...

 album released in 1993 by the British electronic band Ultramarine

Ultramarine (band)

Ultramarine are a UK-based ambient / ambient house band, formed in the early 1990s by Paul Hammond and Ian Cooper.-Biography:Hammond and Cooper first worked together in the band A Primary Industry during the mid-1980s. Following the split of this band, they formed Ultramarine and released...

 on Blanco y Negro Records

Blanco y Negro Records

Blanco y Negro Records, a subsidiary of WEA Records Ltd., was established in 1983 by Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records.Blanco y Negro was home to such artists as Bananarama, Everything But the Girl, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Dream Academy, Dinosaur Jr., Bernthøler, A House, Catatonia, The...

.

The album fuses ambient

Ambient music

Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...

 music and electronica

Electronica

Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...

 with elements of English folk music

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

, and features guest vocals from Robert Wyatt

Robert Wyatt

Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...

.

The song "Happy Land" uses a sample orginating in "The Yellow Snake" by The Incredible String Band from their 1968 album Wee Tam and the Big Huge

Wee Tam and the Big Huge

-Personnel:*Robin Williamson - lead vocals ; guitar -Personnel:*Robin Williamson - lead vocals ("Job’s Tears", "The Yellow Snake", "The Half-Remarkable Question", "Ducks on a Pond", "Maya", "The Son of Noah’s Brother", "Lordly Nightshade", "The Mountain of God", "The Iron Stone" & "The Circle is...

.

The album spent one week on the UK Album Chart, peaking at No. 49.

The lead single from the album was "Kingdom", which spent two weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 46.

A further single, The Barefoot EP was released later, containing remixed versions of four tracks from the album, which peaked at No. 61.

Track listing

1. "Source" [5.35]
2. "Kingdom" [4.52]
3. "Queen of the Moon" [5.45]
4. "Prince Rock" [4.40]
5. "Happy Land" [4.46]
6. "Urf" [4.44]
7. "English Heritage" [8.53]
8. "Instant Kitten" [2.27]
9. "The Badger" [5.59]
10. "Hooter" [4.50]
11. "Dizzy Fox" [8.01]
12. "No Time" [4.30]