I Am June. Romy Liz Rose (2)

Romy Liz Rose liet de afgelopen maanden al van zich horen met twee indrukwekkende EP’s, maar met haar debuutalbum I Am June schaart ze zich definitief onder de beste vrouwelijke singer-songwriters van het moment.

Luister alleen naar de prachtige openingstrack The Remedy en je bent waarschijnlijk al verkocht. De pedal steel zorgt voor ruimtelijke en wonderschone klanken en ook de stem van Romy Liz Rose pakt je direct in. De lat ligt met de openingstrack direct hoog, maar de Rotterdamse muzikante houdt het hoge niveau op de rest van het album makkelijk vast. I Am June overtuigt niet alleen met de muziek en de zang, maar overstijgt ook op knappe wijze genres en maakt bovendien indruk met mooie maar ook zeer persoonlijke songs. Er verschijnen momenteel nogal wat albums van jonge vrouwelijke singer-songwriters, maar I Am June kan met de beste albums mee, nationaal en internationaal.

We hebben in Nederland momenteel absoluut geen gebrek aan talentvolle jonge vrouwelijke singer-songwriters. Het is daarom flink dringen in het genre, maar voor een supertalent is altijd plek. Dat Romy Liz Rose een supertalent is liet ze al horen op de EP’s die ze het afgelopen half jaar uitbracht. Dat haar deze week verschenen debuutalbum I Am June een prachtig album is geworden is daarom geen verrassing. Een deel van de songs op het album is immers al bekend van deze EP’s, maar toch weet Romy Liz Rose me te verrassen met haar debuutalbum. 

Er lopen niet alleen in Nederland veel getalenteerde jonge vrouwelijke singer-songwriters rond, maar ook internationaal is de concurrentie al jaren enorm groot. Probeer dan nog maar eens te komen met een geluid dat anders klinkt, maar het is Romy Liz Rose wat mij betreft gelukt. 

Het alter ego van de uit Zwanenburg afkomstige maar inmiddels Rotterdamse singer-songwriter Romy Laarhoven begint met ingrediënten uit de inmiddels beproefde recepten van de indiepop en indiefolk van het moment. Ze zingt zacht maar ook met veel gevoel, ze kiest voor een vol en warm geluid en ze schrijft persoonlijke songs die niet vies zijn van flink wat melancholie door een liefdesbreuk en waarin het volwassen worden centraal staat. 

Dat klinkt als een typisch ‘coming of age’ of breakup indiepop album en ook het etiket ‘sad girl pop’ zal snel uit de kast worden getrokken. En toch is I Am June geen moment een standaard indiefolk of indiepop album. Romy Liz Rose maakt op haar debuutalbum een aantal opvallende keuzes die het album ver boven de middelmaat doen uitstijgen. 

Wat direct opvalt bij beluistering van I Am June is de grote rol voor de pedal steel. Het is een instrument dat niet mag ontbreken op een goed countryalbum, maar dat is I Am June niet. De pedal steel voorziet de songs van Romy Liz Rose niet alleen van zeer sfeervolle klanken, maar laat ook nog wat extra wolken melancholie overdrijven op het album. 

De pedal steel staat centraal op het debuutalbum van de Rotterdamse muzikante, maar ook de overige inkleuring van haar songs is prachtig. De songs op I Am June zijn voorzien van een verzorgd en aangenaam warm geluid, dat zich steeds weer als de spreekwoordelijke warme deken om je heen slaat. Het is een geluid dat mij direct wist te betoveren, maar het is ook een geluid dat op hele knappe wijze bruggen slaat tussen aan de ene kant de indiepop en aan de andere kant de indiefolk en Amerikaanse rootsmuziek. 

Door de prachtige muziek op I Am June werd ik direct gegrepen door het eerste album van Romy Liz Rose, maar haar stem maakt de verleiding van het album nog wat groter en intenser. De zang op het album doet af en toe denken aan Phoebe Bridgers in haar mooiste songs, maar Romy Liz Rose leunt wat meer tegen de Amerikaanse rootsmuziek aan, wat gevoel en doorleving toevoegt aan haar stem, die ik schaar onder de mooiste stemmen van het moment. Het is een stem die in de overigens wonderschone productie prachtig meebeweegt met de ruimtelijke klanken van de pedal steel. 

De songs op I Am June waren zoals gezegd al deels bekend, maar ook de resterende songs op het album zijn van hoge kwaliteit en onderstrepen het grote talent van Romy Liz Rose. In Nederland mogen we ontzettend trots zijn op een singer-songwriter met de allure van de Rotterdamse muzikante, maar ook internationaal kan I Am June zich meten met het beste dat momenteel voorhanden is.

Erwin Zijleman

Don't Give Up. The Maureens

Listening to my new The Maureens LP for the first time, I had the impression it was business as usual for me and The Maureens. Great pop songs that go down really well, but no different from what I had heard before. And then things changed with each spin I took Don't Give Up on. The title of the album became true in more than one sense.

The Maureens can be found on this blog for more than ten years. It all started with a live show at Q-Bus in Leiden in 2015, where I bought the band's then two year old debut album. This was followed by the single 'Heartbreak' announcing the album 'Bang The Drum' (2015) and me reviewing 'The Maureens'. All through past ten years, the band, with several changes to the line up, went out in search of the perfect pop song and found it multiple times.

Come 2026 and the band released its fifth album and yes, a lot of it sounds familiar, of course once again of great beauty. Don't Give Up though kicks off as if the band has to catch the last bus of the evening. Electric guitars lead the way, bass and especially the drums are prominently present. The raucous lead guitar parts are almost un-The Maureens like and regularly return throughout the album. Bands like The Posies and Teenage Fanclub from 25-30 years ago come by in my mind. Bands blending pop and 90s rock to perfection with Big Star always in the back of its mind. 'Oceans Apart' brings the Rickenbacker back into the band's sound as well. This album is, partly, a wilder sounding album and that is the development I missed in my first listening session. Yes, the most obvious in the sound of Don't Give Up.

The same happens on the up tempo pop-rock song 'Seventeen'. Here Johan has to be added as an influence on the sound. Nothing new, as in 2015 I wrote "Johan is dead, long live The Maureens". Except that in 2026 Johan has been revived for some years already, the quote still stands. The Maureens are the contenders for the crown, as a song like 'Seventeen' is so good. Despite the tempo it is pop perfection.

After the two opening songs, the tempo and intensity go down and are replaced by a different kind of intensity. The harmony vocals become more accented and enter the spotlights. 'Talking In My Sleep' is the kind of song that comes into full bloom when given half the chance. The "aah-aahs" at the end will sound familiar to The Maureens fans, but they still are very effective over the outro. The Maureens are capable of producing spine-tingling moments with very familiar components, yet reaching a maximum effect.

With 'Crying For The Moon' the tempo goes down even further. It starts with just an acoustic guitar, followed by a violin and a double tracked vocal. Hendrik-Jan de Wolff is totally in his balladry element here. The song also provides the album with its title. 'Crying For The Moon' comes closest here to another Dutch band that is one of my favourites, Mountaineer. Both have played twice in my living room. It may well soon become three times as far as I'm concerned. A regular attendee apped me writing, "I'm listening to the new album here in Umbria on holiday and looking forward to the next show". Living room shows are small in size but provide a band a small but loyal following as the emotional impact of the music is so direct and intense.

Don't Give Up meanders between these four type of songs. From loud to soft, the band excels in them all. The album is still growing on me and I have no doubt that just like the previous ones, it will wind up in my albums of the year list. To return to my opening lines. For a band producing albums at such a high musical level, it becomes possible to take that level for granted. Never fall for your first impression! The Maureens belongs to the best pop-rock bands coming out of The Netherlands.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Don't Give Up here:

https://themaureens.bandcamp.com/album/dont-give-up 

The Sky Knows I Exist. Naaz

Het in alle opzichten wonderschone debuutalbum van Naaz vierde eerder dit jaar alweer de derde verjaardag en krijgt deze week gezelschap van The Sky Knows I Exist, dat in alle opzichten een typisch Naaz-album is.

Aan het eind van 2023 twijfelde ik geen moment over het album dat mijn jaarlijstje zou aanvoeren. Never Have I Ever van Naaz wist op dat moment al een jaar te betoveren en te ontroeren, hoe vaak ik ook naar het album luisterde. Sindsdien zag ik Naaz meerdere keren live, wat het verlangen naar haar tweede album aanwakkerde. Dat tweede album is verschenen en wat is The Sky Knows I Exist een prachtig album. Het is een album waarop Naaz haar unieke geluid nog wat verder heeft doorontwikkeld. The Sky Knows I Exist klinkt direct als een Naaz album, maar wederom heeft ze haar grenzen verlegd en laat ze nog maar eens horen hoe groot en bijzonder haar talent is.

De Nederlands-Koerdische muzikante Naaz behoort wat mij betreft tot het allerbeste dat de Nederlandse popmuziek te bieden heeft. Dat was al zo toen ze in 2018 haar eerste EP Bits of Naaz uitbracht en dat was nog steeds zo toen ze in 2023 haar debuutalbum Never Have I Ever afleverde. 

Voor de release van dat debuutalbum keerde Naaz de muziekwereld enkele jaren de rug toe na een aantal nare ervaringen, maar gelukkig kroop het bloed waar het niet gaan kon en maakte ze met Never Have I Ever een van de mooiste, een van de meest persoonlijke en een van de meest indringende albums van de afgelopen jaren. 

Sinds haar terugkeer in de muziek doet Naaz alles zelf en dat kan alle kanten op. Ze organiseerde zelf haar comebackconcert in Carré, trad op met een aantal orkesten, kletste zichzelf het voorprogramma van Lana Del Rey in, begon aan een boek en kondigde onlangs aan dat ze met opera aan de slag gaat. Gelukkig is ze ook haar liefde voor indiepop niet verloren, wat de afgelopen jaren indrukwekkende concerten opleverde en nu de release van haar tweede album The Sky Knows I Exist, dat de komende tijd ook op een aantal podia zal worden vertolkt. 

Het vinyl van The Sky Knows I Exist werd gisteren keurig op de dag van de release afgeleverd en sindsdien ben ik in de ban van het tweede album van Naaz. Iedereen die de tegenwoordig in Amsterdam woonachtige muzikante volgt, kent al een aantal van de tien songs op The Sky Knows I Exist. Het zijn songs die laten horen dat Naaz de afgelopen jaren wat dichter tegen de indiepop aan is gekropen, maar het is wel indiepop die het unieke stempel van Naaz bevat. 

De Nederlands-Koerdische muzikante vertolkte op Never Have I Ever twee songs in het Koerdisch en dit waren de afgelopen jaren indrukwekkende hoogtepunten tijdens haar concerten. Op The Sky Knows I Exist kiest Naaz volledig voor het Engels, maar haar songs blijven in alle opzichten onderscheidend. 

Dat ligt voor een belangrijk deel aan de stem van Naaz en aan haar manier van zingen. Ook op The Sky Knows I Exist is de zang van Naaz weer mooi en bijzonder en bovendien verrassend divers. De zang op het album zit vol gevoel, maar durft ook te experimenteren. Het is zang die mij weer direct wist te raken, waardoor The Sky Knows I Exist makkelijk boven de andere albums van het moment uitstijgt. 

Naaz staat bekend om haar zeer persoonlijke teksten en deze zijn ook weer te horen op haar nieuwe album, dat net als Never Have I Ever een intiem album is. Naaz durft niet alleen te experimenteren met haar stem, maar ook met de muziek op haar nieuwe album. Eerder gaf ik aan dat de Amsterdamse muzikante wat is opgeschoven richting indiepop, maar het is wel indiepop die overloopt van avontuur. 

Ik vind het nog lastig of zelfs onmogelijk om The Sky Knows I Exist te vergelijken met Never Have I Ever, want het album dat in 2023 mijn jaarlijstje aanvoerde is me zo ongelooflijk dierbaar. Ook de eerste kennismaking met het tweede album van Naaz is me echter uitstekend bevallen. 

De zowel door indiepop als indiefolk beïnvloede songs op het album zijn stuk voor stuk typische Naaz songs en het zijn songs met een bijzondere energie en een enorme intensiteit. Naaz heeft inmiddels een flinke groep fanatieke fans, maar een muzikante van haar niveau verdient een nog veel groter publiek. Ik keek met torenhoge verwachtingen uit naar dit album en Naaz heeft me wederom niet teleurgesteld.

Erwin Zijleman

 

The Sky Knows I Exist is verkrijgbaar via haar website: https://www.bitsofnaaz.com. 

POM live. Ekko, Utrecht, Friday 5 June 2026 with Fit

Photo: WdN-vdB

In my review of the new POM album last week I mentioned how much better and more consistent the band had become in the past two years. 'Enlightened, Baby' belies everything that "difficult second album" is often said to be. How does this translate into a live situation?

That answer is so easy to give as one word suffices: growth. Compared to the show in Rotown in December 2023 POM has gone from a band that played its debut record live in a convincing and entertaining way (plus some more chaotic but enthusiastic, perhaps unplanned encores) to a band that owned its repertoire and used it as a starting point. With new guitarist Rosa Kiki, who replaced Joy Kunst last year, in the line up, the band went for it. The set started off in a moderate way and song for song the sound was broader, louder, better, to explode towards the end into an orgiastic music fest. Without control over the songs and playing skills getting lost in the enthusiasm. Breaks were executed and harmonies sung perfectly.

One thing stood out in the mix. The bass was far more audible than at average shows and that dry, pumping sound made the show almost funky. Up front though Liza Kim van As has turned from the singer into the front lady of POM. There is no doubt who draws most of the attention to herself, who is living the role of singer. In a tight fitting dress, she was showing the world to be proud of who she is, pink hair and all. Focusing only on Van As would take away from the whole. Drummer Justin is great and a self-assured rhythm master, the two guitarists weave their parts perfectly, found weird guitar sounds to share with us and play attractive solo parts. The whole has blended perfectly and that is where it showed the band has set a perfect next step in its career. It is ready for a next step, just like the album already showed.

Besides, when a band can afford to not play the most energetic single from it debut album, 'Exoskeleton', and totally get away with that, it must know its on the right course.

Photo: WdN-vdB

Fit from Utrecht is also a band on Mattan Records and has released only a few songs so far. in a reviews I compared it for example to Maxïmo Park. Well, I was in for a surprise. The band on stage and what I had heard on record, somehow do not add up. The unleashed energy was enough to warm up a whole city and infect all present. The band has two guitarists, yet all the solos were played by the singer on a small synth in front of him. That made it very different from most bands I'd ever seen. Fit was happy to be on this stage and it showed. They were going for it and the audience started rooting for Fit more and more. At some point I was wondering if Fit would eclipse POM, as the headlining band still had to play. That fear was laid aside easily by POM.

Near the end of the set, I was struck by a feeling that I had never had before. Having grown up partly in a Noord-Brabant village, I had missed out on live music in small(er) venues entirely. Fit gave me the impression of what it could have been like to attend a the Undertones show in 1979 or something. It was a very authentic feeling and I guess a big compliment to a band, when all is said and done, I barely know in 2026.

That feeling of energy live and capturing it on record? When I played the POM LP today, I missed some of that energy as well. It will take some time to get used to the album again, I'm afraid.

POM and Fit both made a great impression on me. Bigger stages ought to be awaiting them.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Enlightened, Baby. POM

Amsterdam band POM can be found on this blog for well over four years and many times at that. Calling myself a fan may be overstating it a bit; there are no posters above my bed or things like that. Where the music is concerned though, debut album 'We Were Girls Together', now 2,5 years old, still comes by regularly. And here is album number two.

To fall with the door into the room, as we call it here, Enlightened, Baby is an album that is at least as good as 'We Were Girls Together' and may well prove to be better. In opening song 'Rover' POM immediately touches on the quality level The Beths has a tradition to start its albums with. That rock and alternative pop blend that many bands go for but seldom touch upon. 'Rover' does and sets the expectation level for Enlightened, Baby quite high.

My overall view comes up with one word only: growth. POM's debut album was one full of enthusiasm and a few very good songs, as in really, really good. Enlightenment, Baby knows the same level of enthusiasm and joins that with better songs on average. The album was produced by POM's guitarist Luc Siegers, who seemed to have not only make the band's sound deeper but broader as well. Keyboards and an endless level of additional melodies can be heard, that make the album not just good but also a joy to listen to. The sheer fun of discovering all the extras that went into a song!

Speaking of joy, guitarist Joy Kunst left the band and was replaced by a new guitarist, Kiki. That is all I currently know, though. Up front, if course, is Liza van As. She's, if possible, even more present than before. Liza is the front woman with a voice that will reach all corners of the world, need be. POM deserves this by the way, as the band is that good in 2026. I hope that after this release the band is able to move up a notch in the venues and play abroad some shows. Ekko should be my last time in a smaller venue with POM.

Promo photo

Liza van As went through a dark streak after losing her father. When she decided to write about her deep mourning, what came out were pop songs. Most likely to everyone's surprise. Listen to the title song, deeper into the album. The lyrics are serious, the music is full of spunk, inventiveness and synth sounds. For the first time POM must be laid against my Veruca Salt meter and succeeds. I wrote about growth and this is what 'Enlightenment, Baby' shows.

Having played Enlightenment, Baby several times, I notice I find the album better than the listening session before that, with obviously still more to enjoy in the future. On the basis what I've heard, this album should bring the breakthrough.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Enlightenment, Baby here:

https://pomtheband.bandcamp.com/album/enlightened-baby 

Sure He's A Cat. Tribute To The Cats. Various Artists

Several artists on the Excelsior recordings label joined hands to pay their musical respect to one of the biggest pop bands, Nederbeat bands, from The Netherlands, The Cats. Hailing from Volendam they received the moniker Palingpop (Eelpop), as Volendam was once a fishing community on the borders of what is now the IJsselmeer but once had an open connection to the North Sea, the Zuiderzee.

The Cats started out as a vocal group consisting of Arnold Mühren, Jaap Schilder, Cees Veerman, Piet Veerman and Theo Klouwer with Piet Keizer stepping in later as a replacement. They started out with songs by other songwriters. In 1968 Piet Veerman became the lead singer and the band started to write their own material as well. With the single 'Times Were When' everything changed and it became the start of a string of top 3 singles and several number ones lasting years.

Being very young at the time, I am not certain what my first conscious The Cats single was. 'Turn Around And Start Again' (1968) for sure, but it may well be 'Sure He's A Cat' from 1967. Both are songs that stick out because of the singing and the instrumentation. Being that young, a hit was a hit, without knowing it. They were songs that were played on the radio, a lot. Sure, I did not like everything, but a lot I did.

And that went for The Cats for years on end. Today that could be called a guilty pleasure but it's more than that. I truly liked the songs at the time. For years on end I couldn't listen to those songs any more, but I noticed that has changed. I was a given a compilation record a few years ago from a friend who was cleaning her parents' basement and I could tap in to my younger self again with ease. That early hit songs are just made in such a good way, that they tickled my fancy once again.

What I have a very hard time doing, is explaining what kind of pop music the music of The Cats is. It's the same with the first years of Bee Gees. Fantastic songs, but what is it exactly? They are both a genre by themselves and because of that and the years in which they scored their first hits entwined.

So now there is a tribute album from the Excelsior label. The most famous singers are Johan's Jacco de Greeuw and Tim Knol. The other singers, judging by their family names, are all from Volendam, Bond, Tuip and Veerman, Donna Marie, so perhaps a grandchild of either Veerman in The Cats.

The music is all fine, but in most of the songs all I can do is thinking, you're not Piet Veerman. With his larmoyantly quivering tone and the constant tears in his voice he is inimitable. To do something completely different, like when Donna Marie Veerman sings, is what works best. Following the original too closely works less good for me at least. Hearing the songs once again though is great and what it also shows is that the band did move into country music, something I had totally forgotten. And, to finish up. The Johanification of 'End Of The Show' works really well. This is the only moment, Donna Marie aside, that I was not thinking for a second about Piet Veerman. It shows what the power of a great cover version is.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can order Sure He's A Cat here:

https://excelsior-recordings.com/products/v-a-sure-hes-a-cat 

Painted Sea, Painted Stars. Steve French

Cees Paris was once a part of the Canshaker Pi and Personal Trainer entourage around Willem Smit, but he found his own vehicle with Steve French, assisted by some friends of old. In the past seven years I wrote reviews of 'Lightning Tiger Running' (2019) and 'Dogs' (2022). And then I sort of overlooked the latest effort released in March of this year. Time to make amends, as with Painted Sea, Painted Stars, Paris shows to be home from many markets.

Rereading my 2019 review, the following sentences struck me:

"What I notice in the nine song album is that Steve French is able to create a few moods. First there is the ramshackle vagueness. Secondly, very direct songs. Finally there is an alternative ballad, just one man and one guitar, no matter how short the song is".

Come 2026, Steve French is still very good at that mix and even adds an Hawaiian influenced track to boot.

The new album shows a far more mature and serious Steve French. This is no longer a young exuberant man bouncing around, showing off his musical prowess. A lot of thought has gone into the new album. It sounds far more mapped out, but without losing the open-mindedness of a fresh sound.

Like I wrote, Painted Sea, Painted Stars is a varied album. Indie rock can be found in abundance, but also an alternative ballad, 'Shallow Glow', with just Cees Paris and his guitar and a little embellishments. Then take the way the album ends. 'Arid Plains' is a full hybrid song. It is an alternative ballad, with a band. It includes an interesting electrical piano part, great riffs and an exploding electric guitar in a very short interlude (solo?). Because of the alternative approach, it is hard to call it beautiful, yet, in its own way it is. Constantly tugging at my pleasing and at my prickly pear side, manoeuvring itself between pop and alternative.

As a small boy, I was allowed to go to a radio studio with my mother and grandmother to record a programme for the ship my dad sailed on at the time. All I got to say was "dag pappa". There was a band performing, The Kilima Hawaiians. I had totally forgotten about this event and here's Steve French with the track 'Blue Hawaii' bringing back the memory. Thank you for that.

The indierock side of Steve French with some postpunk flavours dominates the biggest parts of Painted Sea, Pained Stars. No song is just straightforward, there's always a twist here, a turn there, the curve ball thrown in to prick up the ears or to give a jolt. It remains melodic but never in expected ways. Exactly what makes the Dutch alternative / postpunk rock scene so good. Steve French claims its position here no little.

Summing up, the more mature approach suits Steve French really well. The band fits right in with what is happening in this country and found its own voice along the way.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can order Painted Sea, Painted Stars here:

https://excelsior-recordings.com/products/steve-french-painted-sea-painted-stars 

Gaze At The Raisin. The Slow Clock

Is it three years already since 'Interpretative Dancing'? Time flies when life happens and often is fun. A new The Slow Clock album is always something to look forward to. Harmen Kuiper's home project, a modern form of lo-fi, i.e. the concept of recording DIY at home with a far better sound, has a fifth iteration and once again takes me through a whole range of styles, emotions and voices. Once again he works with singer-songwriter Amarins Romkema who assists on co- and background vocals, making the album even more varied in sound.

With Gaze At The Raisin, a pointer to raisin therapy no less, The Slow Clock presents itself as an alternative pop band. No one loving modern acts like Raye or Olivia Rodrigo will recognise the pop in this music, yet it is there. Built up from the rhythm of a drum computer, different kind of songs are presented. Some can be compared to the likes of, here they are once again, Pickle Darling and Carol Cleveland Sings, others have a more pop feel as soon as more estranging elements are left behind in the recording bedroom.

Things on this album start with 1960s (psychedelic) pop. Kuiper is an obvious fan of psychedelic pop tracks of the age. He plays elements from this music over the electronic rhythms. He may turn them inside out and/or upside down, connaisseurs like me recognise these elements immediately. The next level The Slow Clock adds is a more alternative feel. One that makes a pop tune less recognisable. Treat a voice a little electronically, use notes that will make the listener listen again to truly understand what is happening here (or turn them off immediately), bring in electronics. The result is songs that do not bring instant satisfaction but are far more fun to listen to.

At the same time it is clear that a lot of work went into the arrangements of the songs. They all work, have surprising elements or turns and satisfy in the end. Melodies and counter melodies can be found. Elements that usually are not associated with lo-fi music. A laptop and a recording programme offer infinite options just like the most expensive recording studios do. Harmen Kuiper uses all the options modern technique offers him, successfully.

I will refrain from singling out individual songs. It is not so relevant if one songs has a great guitar riff or has a corny synth sound and another seems inspired by Personal Trainer, etc. What the main message is, that Gaze At The Raisin has this pop feel that makes me feel good, while listening to the album. That message should be enough to make you take a listen right now. Too bad though that The Slow Clock only play live shows in Los Angeles.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Gaze At The Raisin here:

https://chinup.bandcamp.com/album/gaze-at-the-raisin 

Slow Death Of A Good Girl. Hiqpy

Why this exactly happened is not clear, what happened is. The anecdote is too good to pass up on. A few days ago, I read the review of Slow Death Of A Good Girl in 'Oor'. It was not an undividedly positive review. Hester Aalberts thought many songs on the album to be too long, unnecessarily blown up, etc. It came across a little bit like hype bashing to me, like happened often in the early 1980s in 'Oor', the reason I stopped reading it back then, to return circa ten years later. Up front I have to admit that during the experience below, I was writing a text and not really paying attention to the music most of the time.

Soon after turning on Slow Death Of A Good Girl, I had to agree with Ms. Aalberts for more than 100%. There were these noise eruptions drowning Hiqpy singer Abir Hamam out totally and why every time a song seemed to be over did this male singer come in? For a second I thought: are there two albums playing at the same time? But somehow it seemed to fit and I was intrigued by the way this music unfolded (while not paying true attention). There would definitely not be a review, that much was certain.

When I had finished writing the text, I wanted to go downstairs to have lunch and switched off Spotify. The aggressive music and singer continued and I still have no clue what it was and why it was playing. I must have clicked on a link or something that started playing by itself. Listening to Hiqpy alone later that same day, gave me a totally different experience and left me wondering about Hester Aalberts' review, as under the current circumstances, I'm not hearing what she heard.

But what do I hear? Hiqpy became a hype because the band was gathering positive reviews, interviews in newspapers and magazines before a single song was released, all based on live shows and a few songs played lived on radio shows. That period was expanded way beyond what any other band would consider commercially smart. Well into 2026 that album is finally there, with a fear of having waited too long, expectations rising too high. Not for me, as I managed to forget about the band with ease and then read the album is there, so started listening.

Based on a first impression, it's clear the wait was well worthwhile. Slow Death Of A Good Girl is a solid, at times even huge album. There was time and finances involved that allowed the album to be as big as it is. With a producer, Danton Supple, of name and fame (Coldplay, U2, Elbow) on board, nothing was left to circumstance and luck. The sound is of a stadium performing band. Hiqpy will not have the routine for that yet and will have to build its name further.

Hiqpy is, besides singer Abir Hamam, guitarist/singer Vincent ter Velde, bassist Tom Radsma and drummer Kasper de Boer. The first three started the band during their student days at the Amsterdam conservatorium. Drummer Kasper joined later. From there things went fast and slow.

The band that springs to mind most for me, is Wolf Alice. The music is quite compatible, as is the singing of the two ladies involved. This U.K. band could be a nice example for Hiqpy. Build a fan base and make each next album one step up the ladder and with each tour move into a bigger venue. Hopefully, Abir Hamam is able to grow with the venues, where Ellie Rowsell appears to have a hard time adapting. Based on what I'm hearing now this could be a feasible scenario.

Where I have a harder time, is that after several listening sessions, still not a single song has stuck in my brain. Don't get me wrong, I like what I'm hearing but where is the recognition that usually is there after two, three listening sessions? And I'm far further than that. This makes me wonder if Slow Death Of A Good Girl is a must have album for me. I will give it some more time, but have not bought the album yet.

So, at the end of the day, I am somewhere in between. Hiqpy has produced a huge album, that as far as I'm concerned is not bothered by an unnecessary "peacock tail", to quote Ms. Aalberts. In its genre it is a great sounding album, but are the songs as good as they seem? Time will tell, but there is reason for a slight doubt. On the other side. Despite liking Wolf Alice's first two albums, including a great live show in Melkweg, I only became a real fan with album three and four. I still cannot sing a single song from the first two. In other words, there is more than just hope for Hiqpy.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Mountaineer live with The Amelie Spinks Trio. De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam, Friday 8 May 2026

Photo: WdN-vdB

I seldom travel by bus between cities but when a band plays in De Nieuwe Anita in Amsterdam I can travel almost door to door on one bus. Once again Mountaineer held its album release party there and once again I was surprised by how weird the stage set up is and by how friendly the environment of the venue is.

Mountaineer, the band around Amsterdam based singer-songwriter Marcel Hulst, released its third album early April. You can read my review here: https://wonomagazine.blogspot.com/2026/04/country-dragon-mountaineer.html. Again it is a listening experience that is rich, relaxing and soothing. Also, it is far more professional in sound than ever before.

The band on stage was a seven piece with familiar and new faces. The pedal steel guitar and Mellotron synthesizer were additions that enhanced the music and translated the studio sound into a live situation. Having studio owner Diederik van den Brandt (Aidan and the Wild) as lead guitarist, also made quite the difference. A deeper country feel has come into the sound of Mountaineer because of it.

I would not call the songs of Mountaineer country, but the music is steeped in Americana of all sorts. All these elements taken from singer-songwriter, folk, indie, country, etc. translate into Mountaineer songs. Soft-spoken, melodic, modest, honest songs that demand listening. At home and live. The fact that the stage manager and sound man of De Nieuwe Anita took it upon himself to demand quiet before the support act started, said enough (and that he did not trust the audience). "If you want to talk, go into the bar area, set nicely apart", he told the audience. The Dutch disease was mostly absent this night, but in general I've noticed of late that WHO has succeeded in quelling the epidemic over here. It took a long time though.

Mountaineer was totally on top of its game. The songs sounded great, the sound mix was perfect and the  audience close to if not totally devoted. This was all fans, friends and family and it showed. The new songs were very well received and hearing 'Ohio' once again perfect bliss. I will say it again, Mountaineer is a band deserving a far wider audience. The final song brought the release the band obviously had fun with getting to. A true climax to a perfect evening.

Photo: WdN-vdB

Yes, a perfect evening with The Amelie Spinks Trio opening for Mountaineer. A new name to me and I found a very international band. Amelie herself sported a Flying Nun t-shirt. I noticed traces of a Down Under accent in her voice, the two together hinting at New Zealand. With Swedish contrabass player Anja Gottberg and guitarist Adrian Bifano she plays a very, very quiet form of folk, slowcore, singer-songwriter, country, indie kind of music. Music that takes dedication to listen to. Mission accomplished as the audience was won over one song at a time. It was just beautiful what the three shared with us. Some originals and some covers from a recent covers album, called 'a girl of constant sorrow', the trio released. During the show, I was trying to think of comparisons. That brought me to Drugstore, a long since gone trio from the U.S. supporting Jeff Buckley in Nighttown but also Low came to mind as did other artists I simply forgot the names of.

Comparisons galore perhaps, but that took nothing away from the experience in De Nieuwe Anita. The Amelie Spinks Trio has got its act together and quite obviously impressed the audience that had mostly come for another band. That shows that things are moving in the right direction for them.

Finally, once again, we had to leave for the last bus but did not really want to leave. The DJ of De Nieuwe Anita had us moving. I may have been the only one dancing that was around when most of the oldies played were released and was dancing to the other ones from the 1980s at the time of release. DJ Barry Stiletto has all the original singles and obviously loves playing them for a far younger audience. And for my Karen and me. For next time, there are night buses now. We just have to cycle first, so that we don't have to walk the rest of the way home.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Mountaineer's albums here:

https://mountaineer-music.bandcamp.com/album/country-dragon 

And The Amelie Spinks trio here:

https://ameliespinks.bandcamp.com/album/a-girl-of-constant-sorrow 

Gunmoll live. Patronaat, Haarlem, Friday 10 April 2026

Photo: WdN-vdB

Gunmoll is on tour on the back of its really, really nice debut album. I was really looking forward to hearing the songs live. A few things really stood out. This band is able to rock. With a strong drummer and a bass player who really is taking care of the deep end, the foundation of Gunmoll is so strong. At times my throat vibrated with the sound of the bass. They can groove as well, making it very easy to move in a dance like way to the more up tempo songs. The band had enough fans in the room to get a party started.

Over that groove the rhythm guitar plays some great riffs or strictly rhythm that supports the voice and the lead lines played by the singer, often drenched in reverb like a true surf rocker. The more eastern European sounds came across as well, but less strong than on the album. Gunmoll live likes to rock foremost it seems.

Anyone who has listened to 'Kill Your Darlings' knows that singer Jolien Grünberg's voice is not your average rock singer's. Live, at least in the mix the Patronaat Café offered that does become a bit of an issue. As the band rocks with a deep sound, Grünberg sort of got lost in the mix and had to sing through the band instead of over it. This does take away some of the charm of her unique voice. Despite this fact, I never had the idea she had out-shout herself, so could comfortably sing her lyrics and melodies.

Fun fact, I ran into bass player Lana Kooper of Loupe (ex-Dakota) and she told me she was married to Jorien Grünberg. A pretty unique household, as I truly like both bands.

Photo: WdN-vdB

What also stood out, is that the three men accompanying the singer, remain very anonymous on stage. They remained mostly in the shadows with the spotlight on Grünberg the whole of the time. The backing vocals of guitarist Bram Bol were inaudible for me. Which is too bad, as this adds flavour to the songs.

Finally, Jolien Grünberg is getting into her stride as a front woman. Some of the poses she struck are alright for a bigger stage. Gunmoll deserves a bigger stage and far more people attending than were present in the Patronaat Café. The fact that the café wasn't even sold out, makes me wonder why. This band rocks, has several outstanding songs that any post-punk-pop loving listener should get his way into.

Gunmoll has to mind the mix in the venue, so that Jolien Grünberg's voice comes across in a better way. As soon as that happens, I see a better future for the band ahead.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Gunmoll's music here:

https://gunmoll.bandcamp.com/music 

Drama. Dishes

Wow! Put Drama on and within 10 seconds Dishes will have blown you off your feet. After the sole guitar intro of 'Machine Learning' the band pushes the pedal in right to the metal and in principal only takes it off when the final second of the record is fading out off my ears.

Only a few days ago, I encountered single 'Requiem' and wrote a small post for the singles section (see coming Sunday). Listening to 'Requiem' I knew instantly that I had to listen to Drama, fast. Here is the result of several listening sessions since.

Yes, I may have heard albums like Drama before but seldom has a band convinced me with the ease that Dishes has. The energy shared with the listener is enough to burn down the house from full overload of all the systems. The band simply does not let go of its listeners.

The band formed in 2021 and comes from both Amsterdam and Leiden. It's members are Shireen (van Dorp), vocals, Swaan, bass and background vocals, Kim, guitar and background vocals, Jurre, guitar and Eric, drums. After a few singles, the band released its debut album a few weeks ago.

To me, it doesn't make sense to pick out a few songs. Why? Nearly all songs go off and keep up a huge pace and loads of power from the first to the very last second. What stands out, is the clear voice of singer Shireen that always is in command of the band. Whether this works out live just as well, I can't tell (yet). In the mix Shireen is always on top of the music, so that her lyrics can be followed for the whole of the way, while the band is hacking away, grinding everything in its place. It's a good thing, as she has several messages she wants to share with us. Don't worry, the lead guitar has its moments too, making the album even better.

Should you like a comparison, then only one band comes to mind: traumahelikopter and only in its best, up tempo songs at that. Dishes manages to capture that same sort of energy and keep it up for the whole of the record.

In the past say seven, eight, years I have heard many good (post-)punk bands coming out of The Netherlands but never has a band convinced me of its quality so instantly as Dishes has. And yes, that includes Tramhaus, Marathon, Slow Worries, etc. Drama is an absolutely top album and one of the best releases of 2026 so far.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Drama here:

https://dishes.bandcamp.com/album/drama 

Country Dragon. Mountaineer

Mountaineer is back with a new album after 'Lewis & Clark' (2022), the third in total with '1974' (2014). The bio accompanying the album speaks of a headphone record and I am in total agreement. Country Dragon is a soft and silent album. All is downgraded to minimal accompaniment, exceptions noted. There are two ways to enjoy this album to the max. Either with a headset on or turn your speakers up to a loud volume. In both cases the music will absorb you and more or less take you over.

Marcel Hulst, who is Mountaineer, has worked for one and a half year on the record with producer Diederik van den Brandt (Aidan & the Wild), and it shows. Country Dragon is a rich album with lush arrangements. Even in its minimal setting there is so much to enjoy. Musically and vocally a lot is going on. I do not have information on who is playing on the record, but I suppose that the basis is the members of Maggie Brown, Marcel Hulst's other (or former?) band.

The album came together in a time of personal hardship, where creating music became a personal escape. Unfortunately, from the artist's point of view, it seems an artist needs hardship or unhappiness to get truly inspired. The result is often a musical high and Country Dragon is no exception. The album is of a richness that the two previous albums cannot claim. It could be that working with the Excelsior label opened possibilities that were unattainable before. An extra instrument here, an extra singer there. I was already enthusiastic about '1974' and 'Lewis & Clark'. With Country Dragon Mountaineer has gone next level. Mountaineer and Excelsior have finally found each other. It was about time in my humble opinion.

Where album 'Lewis & Clark' was named after the two famous explorers, who in 1804 travelled the whole of the U.S. from St. Louis all the way to the mouth of what we now call the Columbia River. It was all about looking forward. With Country Dragon the demise of the U.S. is the theme. The shine went off of that shiny city on the hill in the past year. Marcel Hulst has a long-time fascination with the U.S. but how to be fascinated in a positive way with what is going on there today? It's more a horrorshow. Inspiration galore though.

Promo photo

The outcome of this fascination is a beautiful record. As an example, I'm pointing you to 'Queen-Size Life'. The song starts with an intro that has a lone trumpet accompanying Hulst's acoustic guitar. It immediately sets a melancholy mood. In the verse a muted trumpet or French horn comes in. And then the ladies start singing with Marcel Hulst. Only then the band comes in and shivers run down my spine from musical pleasure. That lone piano! Just a few notes and it's enough to make an impression of sheer brilliance. What kind of music is this? Ballad pop? Folk? It doesn't matter, it's perfection. That description does it for me.

One month from now we are going to the LP presentation in De Nieuwe Anita. I'm really looking forward to hear the songs live. In the meantime, I will play this album a lot. It is one of the best in 2026 so far.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can order Country Dragon here:

https://excelsior-recordings.com/products/mountaineer-country-dragon-pre-order 

Porcelain. Nancy Brick

Niet meer verwacht, maar toch nog gekomen, een album met maar liefst dertien niet eerder uitgebrachte songs van het Nederlandse duo Nancy Brick en wat is ook Porcelain weer mooi, intiem en bijzonder.

Ruim dertien jaar geleden wist Nancy Brick me te betoveren met een werkelijk prachtig debuutalbum. Het is een album dat anders klonk dan alle andere albums van dat moment. Het is een album waarop geen noot teveel wordt gespeeld en gezongen en waarop ook stilte een krachtig instrument is. Lange tijd leek er geen opvolger van het debuutalbum van Nancy Brick meer te komen, maar nu is er Porcelain. Het is een album met vooral ruwe demo’s van songs die het debuutalbum van Nancy Brick en de geplande opvolger niet haalden, maar het is ook een album met prachtige Nancy Brick songs. Hopelijk is Porcelain de voorbode van een nieuw Nancy Brick album, maar ook met het nu verschenen album met demo’s ben ik heel blij.

In de herfst van 2012 verscheen het debuutalbum van het Nederlandse duo Nancy Brick. Het album kreeg op zich redelijk wat aandacht, maar werd wat mij betreft in veel te kleine kring op de juiste waarde geschat. Ik nam het eerste album van het duo dat bestaat uit zangeres Rieneke Batelaan en gitarist en pianist Ron Valeri op in de middenmoot van mijn jaarlijstje, maar met de kennis van nu schaar ik het titelloze debuutalbum van Nancy Brick onder de allermooiste albums van het betreffende jaar. 

In een jaar waarin in alle opzichten vol klinkende popmuziek domineerde, imponeerde Nancy Brick met zachte, subtiele en zich langzaam voortslepende muziek en al even zachte en subtiele zang. De songs van het Nederlandse duo zijn op het debuutalbum ontdaan van alle opsmuk, waardoor alleen de essentie en hier en daar stilte overblijft. 

Het debuutalbum van Nancy Brick deed uitzien naar veel en veel meer, maar Rieneke Batelaan en Ron Valeri hebben het geduld van een ieder die hun debuutalbum in 2012 omarmde flink op de proef gesteld. In 2016 verscheen een titelloze EP met slechts 15 minuten muziek. De songs op de EP deden niet onder voor de songs op het debuutalbum en wakkerden de hoop op een tweede album van Nancy Brick aan. 

Na 2016 werd het echter stil rond het duo, dat een sabbatical aankondigde. Rieneke Batelaan en Ron Valeri gingen andere dingen doen, waardoor de aangekondigde sabbatical een periode van ruim negen jaar werd. Afgelopen zomer kreeg ik opeens een e-mail van het duo, waarin een nieuw album werd aangekondigd en dat album is vlak voor het einde van 2025 verschenen. 

Porcelain bevat geen nieuwe muziek van Nancy Brick, want het dertien songs tellende album is gevuld met demo’s die tussen 2009 en 2016 werden opgenomen. In de meeste gevallen thuis met eenvoudige middelen, maar Porcelain bevat ook twee tracks die in een studio werden opgenomen. Het zijn allemaal songs die niet eerder zijn uitgebracht, waardoor Porcelain wel een beetje aanvoelt als een nieuw Nancy Brick album. 

De openingstrack van Porcelain, het bijzonder mooie Its Wings & Ways, klinkt wat voller dan we van Rieneke Batelaan en Ron Valeri gewend zijn, maar het album bevat verder vooral sobere en wat ruw klinkende demo’s van songs. Het past wel bij Nancy Brick, want de ruwe versies van songs die nooit werden uitgebracht, bevatten nog wat minder opsmuk en komen nog wat dichter bij de essentie van de songs. 

Ik luister nog geregeld naar de muziek die Nancy Brick in 2012 en 2016 uitbracht en ben blij met de nieuwe songs van het Nederlandse tweetal. Porcelain staat vol met songs die van een tweede Nancy Brick album een prachtig Nancy Brick album zouden hebben gemaakt en ik koester Porcelain inmiddels dan ook als het album waarop ik ruim negen jaar geleden hoopte. 

Niet alleen de songs op Porcelain zijn goed, wat ook de uitvoering is weer fantastisch. Ron Valeri heeft de songs op het album voorzien van sobere maar zeer smaakvolle klanken, terwijl Rieneke Batelaan echt prachtig zingt. Een aantal tracks zijn opgenomen met een eenvoudige 4-sporen recorder en dat hoor je, maar het voorziet de songs ook van een ruwe charme. Het leek er de afgelopen jaren op dat Nancy Brick het zou houden op een album en een EP, maar met Porcelain is het oeuvre van het duo nog wat indrukwekkender en hopelijk blijft het hier niet bij.

Erwin Zijleman

The Lighthouse. Tessa Rose Jackson

Search for Tessa Rose Jackson on this blog and you will only find reviews by Erwin Zijleman. From her debut album in 2013 'Song From The Sandbox', to three albums under the name Someone. There's one exception, my review of a live show at the Waterpop festival in 2013. In 2026 she returns with an album under her own name, 'The Lighthouse'. And here I am.

I came late to Someone. At first I did not hear it, until I took home a copy of the album 'Shapeshifter' that someone had parted with in a free cd library somewhere. I felt it was time to give this album a serious chance and was rewarded. The album went down better after a few listening sessions. The consequence was that I was interested straight away when I read there was a new album out under her own name.

Why Tessa Rose Jackson decided to confuse everyone once again by using her own name for this record, I can't tell you. What I can tell you, is that The Lighthouse is a mostly quiet album that invites its listeners to start listening and forget about all else for a short while. On the album she presents songs somewhere between folk and indiepop. She clearly is enjoying being a singer-songwriter but also to rock mildly, like in 'Build To Collide'. Although the acoustic guitar is the instrument pushed most forward in the mix, the drummer keeps a tight pace and an electric guitar plays nice accents.

Well into her second decade as an artist, Tessa Rose Jackson has become a grown woman and it shows. The Lighthouse is a mature album. This artist knows exactly what she wants to present and how she wants to sound. There is no room left for doubt. Perhaps this is the reason that she left the anonymously sounding Someone behind. She is Tessa Rose Jackson and no longer just "someone".

With her new album, she positions herself in a long line of female singer-songwriters from Joni Mitchel and Sandy Denny to more modern folk singers like Liz Overs and others from the U.K. folk scene. It is a position that suites her very well. With The Lighthouse Jackson shows herself from a very vulnerable position. Several songs on the album are so delicate, that treating them too rough would mean they'd brake. A few exceptions aside, The Lighthouse presents a full listening experience. An album to merge with on a cold evening with the heater on, headphones on the head and enjoying every small detail in the songs. And there are many to explore and hear.

With The Lighthouse Tessa Rose Jackson sets another, very convincing step in her career. The Lighthouse is not so much earth-shattering. For that it sounds far too modest. The album is sheer beauty and should be treated as such, reverently with the full attention beauty deserves.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order The Lighthouse here:

https://tessarosejackson.bandcamp.com/album/the-lighthouse 

For Days, For Hours. Levi Boon

Het is momenteel flink dringen in het land van de vrouwelijke singer-songwriters, maar de Utrechtse muzikante Levi Boon heeft met haar debuutalbum For Days, For Hours een in kwalitatief opzicht zeer onderscheidend album gemaakt.

Het is een beetje toeval dat ik het debuutalbum van de Nederlandse singer-songwriter Levi Boon opmerkte tussen de nieuwe albums van deze week, maar wat ben ik blij met het album. Het is een album met vooral ingetogen songs die goed passen in de hokjes singer-songwriter en folk(pop). Ondanks het beperkte budget voor het album klinkt For Days, For Hours prachtig en de muziek op het album is bovendien verrassend veelzijdig. De meeste betovering komt echter van de stem van Levi Boon. De Utrechtse muzikante zingt zacht en vaak wat loom, maar wat is de zang op het album ook mooi. Dat geldt ook voor de songs, die steeds weer de juiste snaar weten te raken en het indrukwekkende For Days, For Hours keer op keer nog wat mooier maken.

De Utrechtse singer-songwriter Levi Boon begon in de zomer van 2024 een crowdfunding campagne voor het kunnen maken van haar debuutalbum. De campagne leverde uiteindelijk net iets meer dan 4.000 euro op en dat was genoeg voor het kunnen realiseren van het deze week verschenen For Days, For Hours. Ik vind het eerlijk gezegd een redelijk bescheiden bedrag, maar meer is er kennelijk niet nodig voor het maken van een echt prachtig klinkend album. 

Levi Boon ken ik van haar in 2023 uitgebrachte EP the grand theme of things, waarop ze wat mij betreft indruk maakte met intieme en prachtig gezongen folksongs. Op de bijna twee jaar oude EP hoorde ik vooral de belofte, maar die maakt Levi Boon wat mij betreft meer dan waar op haar deze week uitgebrachte debuutalbum. 

For Days, For Hours opent met de akoestische gitaar en de stem van Levi Boon, maar naarmate de openingstrack vordert worden extra instrumenten toegevoegd aan het geluid van de Utrechtse muzikante. Levi Boon maakte haar debuutalbum samen met haar band, die haar songs voorziet van een warm en sfeervol geluid. Het is een geluid dat prachtig is vastgelegd door producer Viktor van Woudenberg, die tekent voor een mooi verzorgd en zeer sfeervol geluid, dat iets toevoegt aan de in de basis uiterst sobere en intieme songs van Levi Boon. 

Bij beluistering van For Days, For Hours moest ik in eerste instantie denken aan een aantal singer-songwriter albums uit de jaren 70, maar Levi Boon sluit ook aan bij een aantal jonge vrouwelijke singer-songwriters van het moment. Laat ik het er maar op houden dat For Days. For Hours een tijdloos klinkend album is. 

De muziek op en de productie van het album heb ik al geprezen, maar als ik naar het debuutalbum van Levi Boon luister, word ik vooral gegrepen door haar stem. De muzikante uit Utrecht zingt vooral zacht, maar vergeleken met de meeste zacht zingende zangeressen van het moment, hoor ik veel warmte en diepte in de stem van Levi Boon. Haar stem klinkt direct bij eerste kennismaking aangenaam, maar wanneer je met wat meer aandacht luistert naar de songs op For Days, For Hours hoor je ook hoeveel gevoel er in de zang zit. 

For Days, For Hours is een album dat het uitstekend doet op de achtergrond, zeker op herfstavonden, maar de ware kracht van For Days, For Hours ervaar je pas wanneer je met volledige aandacht naar het album luistert. Bij eerste beluistering van het album was ik vooral onder de indruk van de spaarzaam ingekleurde songs op het album, die wel wat doen denken aan Laura Marling, maar ook de wat voller klinkende songs op het album met wat meer popinvloeden winnen snel aan kracht. 

For Days, For Hours is een persoonlijk album waarop de zoektocht naar de eigen identiteit centraal staat en het persoonlijke karakter van de songs voorziet het album van Levi Boon van extra kracht en urgentie. Er verschijnen op het moment wel meer intieme maar ook verrassend veelkleurige singer-songwriter albums, maar het debuutalbum van Levi Boon springt er wat mij betreft makkelijk uit. 

De muzikante uit Utrecht moet concurreren met albums die een veelvoud hebben gekost (een zoektocht op Google leert dat het maken van het laatste album van Taylor Swift zo’n 2 miljoen dollar heeft gekost), maar ik hoor echt niets op dit prachtalbum dat beter had gekund. Buitengewoon knap gedaan.

Erwin Zijleman

Kill Your Darlings. GUNMOLL

In April it is two years ago Amsterdam's GUNMOLL could be found on WoNoBlog for the first time. A year ago the EP 'Welcome To The GUNMOLL Family' was and here is the debut album. And what an album it is. GUNMOLL goes full out and does not fail to show to the world what it is good at, playing extremely exciting music, including music allowing for major party time.

GUNMOLL is Jolien Grünberg (voice, guitar) and Bram Bol (guitar, producer) with Koen van Bemmelen (bass) and Bas Janssen (drums). The former two started the band and found the latter to complete their energetic sound as they are an important part of the sound.

The album opens with a statement. 'Chasin'' has surfrock written all over it. Of course, this is far removed from what Dick Dale and such could create in the late 1950s. The reverb on the guitars and the rhythm jabs leave no doubt what the inspiration is. 'Pulp Fiction' could be the intermediate link of course. In the song the signature voice of Jolien Grünberg is another clear anchor. It is not your everyday voice, somewhat girlish with some helium assistance, just like the singer from the Danish band The Astroid Galaxy Tour, Mette Lindberg. The higher Grünberg sings, the more distinct her voice becomes.

Photo: Roan de Vries

It matches the firm background though. She surfs on the riffs of the guitars as if there is no danger underneath them at all. And there isn't for her, as the band carries her. Just listen to how "a dozen" Grünbergs sing out in the chorus of 'Wanna Be A Star' or in the über track 'Tata's Lie'. Rock meets surf in abundance here with Grünberg cresting the highest waves the band is able to create. As far as I'm concerned this is THE GUNMOLL track and the first single in 2024. This ought to be a huge hit, but unfortunately the song does have seven writers, six producers and three featurings. I hear a lot of international bands playing rock songs like 'Tata's Lie', there are not a lot matching this prowess and energy.

The second influence that shines through is an eastern element in the music. GUNMOLL shows it for the first time in the prosaic 'Fuck Everything Up'. While Jolien Grünberg runs amok with full anarchic intentions, the guitars fire off one eastern sounding riff after another to my ears. For certain from further east than her Romanian roots. It is just a starting point for what is to come.

No matter what sort of genre the band explores, you can hear a few different bands as influence as well, the rock element is always up front. The guitar(s) will play a loud riff or lead line, that always excites. They set off Jolien Grünberg as well. The two match their intentions no little on Kill Your Darlings. Slowly but surely it becomes clear that the album is one big party the band leads you to and through.

Recently, I read on the website Musicmeter the comment that Dutch bands seldom excited the writer. I answered that I tend to disagree. GUNMOLL delivered the latest point of proof. Kill Your Darlings is an extremely exciting record and GUNMOLL is ready for more. This ought to be a breakthrough album.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Kill Your Darlings here:

https://gunmoll.bandcamp.com/album/kill-your-darlings 

All Good Things. Bertolf & Nomden

Bertolf Lentink and Diederik Nomden have made a name for themselves in the past decades in The Netherlands. As musicians in bands like Ilse de Lange (Bertolf) respectively Johan and The Analogues (Nomden). To a lesser extent as solo artists. As both have a love for perfect pop songs and The Beatles, their teaming up as a duo is something that could not be labelled as totally unexpected, which is different from predictable.

The result is the album All Good Things. It is filled with songs that strive for perfection, to receive the qualification earworm. Songs that bring to mind the 1960s most of the time. It is clear that a lot of attention went into the details of the songs, as the arrangement can easily be called lush. They make the album sound like a warm bath. Like some of the earlier albums of Moody Blues do, before the band went on hiatus for five years. With one major difference, the pop feel of All Good Things is far higher. In that the influences from the decades following the 60s are evident, including pop-rock and Britpop and even Johan.

The centrepiece of the album are the voices of Bertolf and Nomden. The joy they get from singing together shines through on the album for the whole of the time. Every possible harmony has been explored, I'm convinced it has. The result is an album that sounds instantly recognisable because of it. The songs on All Good Things sound like they have been here for most of my life, yet clearly are not. This makes the album a warm bath that covers you instantly.

I am not going to pick out a few songs like I usually do, as this does not make sense for this album. The qualifications of the album have just been summed up. Examples do not make it a better review. If you love pop perfection, this is the album to go for this month. They are none better in January 2026.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can order All Good Things here:

https://excelsior-recordings.com/products/bertolf-nomden-all-good-things 

Farewell, Golden Earring (2)

Today we continue with the list where we left you at number 11. Today I consider the following songs my favourite ten Golden Earring(s) singles.

10. Sleepwalkin' (1976)

!976's album 'To The Hilt' was my first Earring album and the two singles my second and third Earring singles. Sleepwalkin' is one of these songs that make me wonder whether the crediting of songs to Hay/Kooijmans is justified. The bass riff in the background and Zuiderwijk's typical drumming and short solo's are such an integral part of this song, that a credit ought to be justified. This is more than just arranging, to my ears at least. There's more of that coming up below. This song is a driving force but it is more. It has a symphonic rock element as well. My take is that for the interludes the band listened to Genesis e.g. Besides that, there is the great sax solo of Bertus Borgers who played with the band for decades. This is some great musicianship and Robert Jan Stips, who would leave the band and later surface in The Nits, taking his moment. Another number 5 hit for the band.

9. That Day (1966)

That Day is Golden Earrings' second single. As the studio's in The Netherlands and the people operating them were all sub par, the band went to England to record in the Pye studio. The result is history, as Golden Earrings broke big with the song. Reaching number 2 for five weeks, behind 'Michelle', one of my least favourite The Beatles songs, the band became a famous pop band. A piano is the main instrument on That Day, played by Aad den Dulk, a friend of drummer Jaap Eggermont. The vocals are a joint delivery of Krassenburg and Kooijmans. What changed is the "steenkolen Engels". It looked like some people took lessons after 'Please Go'. Does perfect pop exist? I don't know but this sure sounds like it. At 17 George Kooijmans could already write a fantastic pop song. As an aside. Golden Earrings was a five and later a four piece, but so many songs had a prominent keyboard. That is rather strange, isn't it, for a band without a keyboard player. It would take years for the band to become a rock band. The beat/pop band was extremely good though.

8. Bombay (1976)

As I already wrote, Golden Earring experimented a lot. With Robert Jan Stips gone it was joined by former Cuby + Blizzards guitarist Eelco Gelling and that led to the sort of injection The Rolling Stones had with Mick Taylor. The guitar work on this single is truly exquisite. Who plays what, I don't know, but there are so many parts and riffs flying around it's almost impossible to keep up. I've liked this single from the day I heard it first, right up to this day. The eastern influence was brought in by Gelling, Bombay by Hay who lived in India in his earliest youth. Only number 7? Yes, and just I can't understand it.

 

7. Going To The Run (1991)

The last really big hit of Golden Earring is the ballad Going To The Run about a Hell's Angel. A friend of Barry Hay who crashed his motorbike, turned into a fantastic song. The chorus sung by Hay and Kooijmans is one of the finest in rock history. Despite playing in cover bands for well over 30 years, this was the first Earring song we've played, with my current band Sweetwood. And it got voted out last year. The remaining one is 'Rader Love', that we mastered after a lot of practising. With Going To The Run the Earring showed how good its ballads can be. One of the very best songs of the band ever.

 

6. Back Home (1970)

Enter Cesar Zuiderwijk, exit Sieb Warner. In a matter of months the band had totally reinvented itself and entered the stage with a real rock song. Heavy riffing and Barry Hay getting into his own. Finally he is the rocker that his voice is best equipped for. Of course, there is the flute played by Hay that is a remnant of times soon gone. With Back Home the band was right on top of the times as bands like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath were scoring their first hit in the same year. Just two years previously the band scored its first number 1 single (not in this list) and the two could not be further apart. The transition is in a way incomprehensible. Back Home is so loud and rough. The audience must have loved it as it was number 1 for five weeks with five weeks at number 2 around the 1 position. It makes Back Home Golden Earring's biggest hit by far. Did the old fans follow? I simply can't imagine they did. This then fourth grader did though.

We approach the first five and here it becomes really hard. On any day it could well be that a song could be in a different position but I think this is about accurate where I am concerned. Golden Earring(s) has produced several great songs but these five certainly are on top of all the others. Two of the songs were the band's claim to fame internationally. When I bought a compilation album in 1977 in Australia called 'Immortal Hits', it contained one Golden Earring song (and one Focus, 'Hocus Pocus'). We all know which song that is of course. The songs were all from the Polydor label, but still, Australia! Travel through the U.S. and you will hear the song regularly, just like Shocking Blue's 'Venus' by the way. Golden Earring is a pop/rock icon, globally. That ought to have had far more international hits, but alas.

5. Twilight Zone (1982)

Twilight Zone is the band's fourth number 1 single and built around a great riff. Sort of out of nowhere the band was really big again. Originally meant for a George Kooijmans solo album but added to 'Cut' that was supposed to be the band's final album. Come today we all know how that went. Again, a global hit was scored but again that could not be followed up, unfortunately. With Twilight Zone the band was able to combine two worlds and sort of reinvent itself. Twilight Zone without a doubt is a rock song, but it is also very danceable and has a lot of sounds that will sound familiar to U.K. postpunk/new wave bands. The Dick Maas video clearly catered to the demands of MTV. We are 44 years down the line but this single is still as strong as it was on its release day. Remember my comment on credits. Just listen to that bass riff and tell me your view.

4. Radar Love (1973)

When we had the intro, that was supposed to be a drum intro, we had created our own Beethoven's Fifth, said Cesar Zuiderwijk recently in an interview. The intro was thought up by bassist Rinus Gerritsen. Radar Love is one of the best rock songs ever of course. Iconic. The kind of song millions of people will recognise right at the first note played. A road song ideal for driving into the distance and within seconds you're speeding as well. As I wrote above, how can this be just written by two if the contribution from the rhythm section is so huge, including the iconic opening riff? What Cesar is doing here is composing on drums. Without his drumming in this way, the song would not half have the power it possesses and the same goes for the bass part. Rinus Gerritsen is a killer bass player! Some guitar parts were played by Eelco Gelling, who was not yet a member. Radar Love was the band's third number 1 hit.

3. She Flies On Strange Wings (1971)

This single/song is nothing less than a mini rock opera. For the life of me I can't understand that this was not a worldwide number 1 hitsingle. In fact, it did not go beyond number 4 here. It has everything you want great songs to have, split over an a and b side as the band refused to make a single edit. As I once wrote a whole post on this song, I'm going to refer you to it. Before I do, that bass player!

https://wonomagazine.blogspot.com/2021/11/a-classic-rock-giant-she-flies-on.html

 

2. When The Lady Smiles (1983)

When The Lady Smiles is Golden Earring's fifth and final number 1 single. Released one year after 'Twilight Zone' and meant as the continuation of the international success. But because of the video being pulled out of rotation by MTV, we will never know what it could have achieved. By attacking a nun on a tram in the video the band sealed its fate. That the perpetrator, Barry Hay's version of Van Kooten and De Bie's character 'De Vieze Man' ('The Dirty Man'), is severely punished further on in the video, is a subtlety that went by the puritan Americans. And us, Dutch? We just saw a great video accompanying an even greater song. As that is what When The Lady Smiles is for certain. This song has so much energy, can be danced to, has a host of guitar lines, and a chorus that is beyond superb. The only element I was not a fan of, was the 'Johnny and Mary' style solo at the end. George Kooijmans has played so many far better ones. The verses hold the tension that the song needs, so that the release in the pre chorus and then the chorus makes its point double and then triple. This song has the absolute wow factor.

 

1. Just A Little Bit Of Peace In My Heart (1968)

George was married to Melanie Gerritsen for 56 years. Melanie is bassist Rinus' sister, while their brother Rob for decades took care of finances for the band. A family band in a certain way Golden Earring was. But, in 1968 she broke up the relationship. George was heartbroken and must have decided to write one of the ultimate love songs ever to win her back and succeeded. They married soon after. Still called Golden Earrings, he went into the studio and came out with this masterpiece that reached number 2 behind The Cats' 'Lea'. In a way this is the least Golden Earring(s) song of all in this list, as the song has drums and bass but is carried by the orchestra arranged by Frans Mijts. Full blasting horns and loud violins! Listen to the end and you will find that bass sound already that would become a signature of Golden Earring a few years later. Kooijmans plays an acoustic guitar on the song and is pouring his heart out, to quote a later single. For me this was an earth shaking song. Together with 'Hey Jude', 'MacArthur's Park' and 'Eloise' it showed a third grader the power of music. There would be more songs at that level through the decades but very, very seldom better. For a short time, George Kooijmans was the lead singer of the Earring(s) on the singles before the band finally found the modus that would make Barry Hay the star he remained for well over five decades. Here George is shining like never before and never after. It goes to show that heartbreak leads to the best songs.

 

Summing up. The Earring will be there for my whole life as the songs will be there forever. Longer than I will live. Cover bands will keep the songs alive for some time to come. It's impossible to say what my truly favourite Earring(s) period is. I love the singles from the Earrings period. The rock period in the first half of the 70s is great, just like several singles from the early 80s. In the past days I played the 'Devil Made Us Do It' box repeatedly and found music at such a consistent level, even from the periods I thought I liked less. The box set is an altar for the music of Golden Earring(s). Should a song like 'Where Will I Be' be in this top 25? Yes, probably. Tomorrow this list may look different, for now this is it. What I can conclude, is that I like George sung songs the best in general, but without Barry's voice it would never have worked for so long. They were a golden tandem, just like Cesar and Rinus were. Together they were and are the best Dutch rock band ever.

Golden Earring is no more. At the end of this week the farewell shows are over. The music is there and I am sure going to enjoy it for some time to come.

Barry Hay seems prone to retire on Curacao, but Cesar is active in music, e.g. with Sloper and Rinus has become the bass player in the revived Supersister, with my neighbour from down the street Leon Klaassen on drums.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght