Westerschelde. Indigo Pastel

Indigo Pastel is a sort of enigma. The band sings in English but has titles to their songs that are unpronounceable for an English tongue, with the title(song) as best example. The band presents soft-toned songs but hints to loud shows in its bio. It's most poppy song is named after a silent, nature park. The singer songs about local topics and places, in English. It all does not add up, so it's time for a close listening session, but first a detour.

Years ago I bought the luxury LP version of broeder Dieleman's album 'Komma'. A beautiful tome of a cover, including maps of and photo's taken in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, where both Tonnie Dieleman and Indigo Pastel come from. This spring I asked Dieleman how I could trace his walk. It started at the Otheense Kreek under Terneuzen and took us through the beauty of nature in spring. Why am I telling you all this? One of the songs on Westerschelde is called 'Othene', the exact spot that inspired the artwork and music on 'Komma'. Another reason to listen even even more closely, since I know first hand what is being sung about.

Indigo Pastel is a five piece with members from Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and Rotterdam. Sander Coers, guitar; Lucas Thijs, bass; Dirk Schonk, drums, Job Roodhuizen, keys and Tim Roos, vocals and guitar. They describe their music as "not easy". Of course this is relative to someone's ears, but I am willing to concede their point. Westerschelde is not an album that goes into one's ears to stick there immediately. There are no pop hooks that stick to a brain immediately and makes you want to sing along, let alone during the first listening session. In other words an album that will take some effort and then it comes down to the music being interesting enough to make that effort. I've decided to jump in and share my findings with you.

Westerschelde is an album that seems to hold back. The music is calm and has an undefinable mysterious layer over it, stemming from the atmosphere the band creates in the songs. In the reverb, in the space left in the mix, in the sounds that hover through it all, the "ghost voice" at the end of 'Othene' it all adds to the mystery. I am thinking immediately of that other band coming from Zeeland, De Toegift. Both bands put music first, where less can often be more, if not their standard.

Indigo Pastel sings, as said, in English. Zeeuws Vlaanderen is isolated from the rest of the country and closer to Belgium even. The influence of some bigger bands from that country, like dEUS, can be heard as well. Not doing the obvious, even something absolutely alienating like in the title song, the band is far from afraid to do so. Here I can imagine the song growing into a sonic onslaught in a live setting, while being ever so soft on record.

Westerschelde is not an easy album. It takes time and effort to really listen to it. There's more happening than at first ear is expected. In Cadzand Bad the mood is so easy going, in an estranging way, with the bass setting the melody in an Air-like way. Enter, the sonic thunderclaps on the guitar and the wider atmospherics when the song progresses. The beauty wins out on the beast, but both are very present.

All in all Westerschelde contains late night music, where a lack of sleep makes a person move from consciousness into sub-consciousness, off and on the whole time, blurring what is still real and what is that other, uncontrollable part your brain taking over. With that mystery constantly there, it becomes impossible to discern between the two.

Admittedly, Westerschelde is not an album I will play every day, but when I do I'm sucked into another world instantly, one where haste is a non-existing word and drifting away together a given. Part music, part experience Westerschelde is.

Wout de Natris