Swelter
Songs of Distance
This is a Dutch indie band and this is intended to be a set of very personal and reflective compositions from mainman Bart Drost. The misty cover art hints at what the listener hears and first impressions are vaguely RadioHead territory but more tuneful. It must be said, this disc would kill a party but makes sense as a solo listen.
‘We Both Know’ has Drost in a state of earnest resignation in an eerie but insistent setting not a huge distance from New Zealand band the Chills ( ‘Submarine Bells’) in atmosphere.
‘Something Worth Repeating’ is solid, melodic but still mournful. The spacey ‘You’re In The Last Frame’ would have made a better album opener than ‘Wait & See’ which sounds to me like a coda.
Drost does seem to be in awe of Thom Yorke, it’s a shame he doesn’t have an influence such as John Sebastian on this album to counter the darkness. Yet writing these songs might be some kind of exorcism, one suspects so. And wasn’t ‘Blood On The Tracks’ ? Bob Dylan gets cross with those who love that record as it records a bad spiritual time for him. But if you record and release the songs, what can you say ?
Closer ‘Let Me Sleep’ has a gentle beauty and the overall impression is of a record that is sincere, well-played, tuneful..but all the same, a downer with not much at all in the way of a ray of light or a twinkle of hope. But for those who find Joy Division and Nick Cave too lighthearted…..
With fairness in comment being our eternal aim, this record achieves the mood it sets out to create. So it’s a success
Pete Sargeant www.fairhearing.co.uk
