Wednesday, 28 December 2016

Top 10 albums 2016



As the end of the year is upon as the obligatory end of the year lists appear as well. So here's the one I sent in to FestivalInfo in the end. I was thinking of just publishing it here in alphabetical order since they're all great albums and the order isn't really important. And of course there are lots of other great albums that came out this year and I only heard a small part of them. So don't attach too much importance to this list of any of the lists. They are only there for a bit of fun. Let's remember all the wonderful musicians that left us this year and hope 2017 will be a better year. Have a good one and see you on the other side.
1.David Bowie - Black Star
Play in Spotify


2.Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Play in Spotify


3.Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Skeleton
Play in Spotify


4.Preoccupations - Preoccupations
Play in Spotify


5.King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity
Play in Spotify


6.Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial
Play in Spotify


7.Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate
Play in Spotify


8.Deftones - Gore
Play in Spotify


9.Shearwater - Jet Plane and Oxbow
Play in Spotify


10.Ryley Walker - Golden Sings That Have Been Sung
Play in Spotify


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Friday, 23 December 2016

On Stage: Dans Dans @ Bitterzoet



One of the things I like about festivals is discovering new bands. Especially smaller festivals with a razor sharp line-up usually have a few gems on the bill. My favourite festival Into The Great Wide Open usually has a few treasures up their sleeves and I saw Belgian trio Dans Dans play there a few years back. Now they have released their fourth album Sand and are playing a club tour.

Dans Dans at Bitterzoet Amsterdam, December 21 2016



This show is part of the Indiestad pass and the venue has filled up considerably. It is also part of something called "Supersonic Jazz", where Paradiso is programming acts that are blending jazz with other genres in a new way. This definitely is true for Dans Dans that are mixing jazzy grooves with blues, psychedelic rock and rock 'n roll.



There's a mic on stage, but it is hardly used since this is an instrumental band only. A few times guitar player Bert Dockx is saying "thanks" in the mic and mentions there's really not much more for him to say. Which is true, since the music does all the talking and it is talking plenty. In general the music is a bit dark with lots of character and definitely cinematical. It's as if they are playing the soundtrack of a David Lynch movie filled with unexpected twists and turns. You almost expect some femme fatal to walk in or some surrealistic plot twist to happen.



The three prove to be very skilled musicians and their music is usually loosely based around some jazzy theme on which they improvise. Now and then they will break out a catchy rock 'n roll tune or a lengthy psychedelic jam. Both Dockx and bassist Fred Jacquest are half facing drummer Steven Cassiers most of the times which shows how much they are challenging and following each other. At the same time it feels as if everything is actually thought out, which is a compliment, since everything is so tight and fits together perfectly. Dockx will sometimes kneel down to start a sample from a cassette player or other sounds. It may not always be straightforward music but on the surface it is very accessible and even hard to stand still to. This is exciting and well played music that is breaking down boundaries and should appeal to many.



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