The Many Faces Of The Van Jets

The Van Jets are a Belgian band that I first saw on Rock Werchter earlier this year. Over there they already made it to the main stage although as opening act. But here they are still relatively unknown and so they were playing the small Paradiso stage. Although I really wanted to see more of them I didn't get tickets since I would be seeing them at the Crystal Ball party the next day. Fortunately for me I won tickets to their show thanks to alternative.blog.nl.

The Van Jets at Paradiso Amsterdam, September 23 2010 (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
When we get to small Paradiso room 10 minutes before the gig there is hardly anyone there. Maybe most people are checking out a bit of Lifehouse on the main stage to kill time. We decide to do so as well but are glad that we only get to see two songs. It still doesn't get really crowded but the Belgian band doesn't get discouraged and immediately kick off with their modest hit 'The Future'. From then on they take us on a tour through their repertoire that shows a variety of styles: garage rock, pop, glam rock, it's all there.



Front man Johannes Verschaeve is a charismatic singer that seeks interaction with the crowd regularly. In the beginning that doesn't lead to a lot of response so he asks everyone to move up closer to the stage. The band plays a convincing set and gradually win most people over. Even some of the Lifehouse fans that decided to take a peek at this gig as well after their show was finished . They already won me over at Rock Werchter but this time I was even more impressed. A song like 'Matador' is so different from the Bowie cover 'Fashion' but they still manage to give it their own sound. Despite the small crowd they are still willing to do an encore. Immediately after the show they sign their albums and are chatting with fans. This band deserves to be so much bigger than they have been so far. Hopefully they can win more people over in the future. That shouldn't be a problem when they keep on playing these great rock shows.



The Van Jets Official Website
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Grinderman Reveals Its Dark And Perverted Secrets

Nick Cave is one of those people that if he releases any kind of music it always raises my interest. I find his approach to music and song writing both brilliant and creative. Averse to any music industry rules he follows his on path. And accompanied by his great supporting band The Bad Seeds he has delivered some beauties in the past. His latest band Grinderman with some members of The Bad Seeds should be considered a band in its own right instead of just a side project according to Cave. They just delivered their second album 'Grinderman2' and I just had to listen to it as soon as it became available on their MySpace page.

Grinderman - Grinderman2 (Ronald Says 9 out of 10)
Instead of having to deal with the expectations and direction a new album with The Bad Seeds would raise Grinderman is a blank page for Nick Cave and co. And that's how they approach it. Entering the studio with nothing and building a record from jam sessions. This doesn't mean they delivered a hasty album with half finished songs. It did result in a rough version of Bad Seeds songs as did their first album. But this album is even more rough, vile and rancid than its predecessor and it takes you on a tour through Grinderman's perverted and dark side. The lines "I stick my fingers in your biscuit jar /And crush all your gingerbread men" can be read in many reviews and may well turn into an instant classic.

Fortunately they know just how far they can take it and so the album never gets too insane and doesn't spin out of control like Cave's The Birthday Party could. It starts off right away with 'Mickey Mouse and The Goodbye Man'. Heavy distorted guitars support Cave's vocals and squeals. This sets the tone for the rest of the record. But instead of battering you numb like this for the entire disc they put in enough variation to keep your attention until the end. 'What I Know' has very subtle backing instruments with simmering vocals whispering "You better come on over here" before the next track 'Evil' bursts loose. And the best is yet to come with the beautiful soulful song 'Palaces of Montezuma'.

With only nine tracks the album still clocks well over 40 minutes since many songs are over 5 minutes long. They are hypnotizing and Grinderman creeps under your skin pulling you into their perverted world. Just the way I like it.

Listen to 'Grinderman2' on Spotify
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Brandon Flowers' Flamingo Isn't Killing It

Brandon Flowers - Flamingo (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
The Killers front man recorded the songs for this album mostly while on tour with his successful band. Maybe his band mates didn't like them too much or he felt too restricted by the high expectations of a popular band like this one. So he decided to release a solo album. After listening this record you can only ask yourself: why? Flowers IS The Killers and so this album sounds like them a lot. But I can imagine his band mates not willing to put them on an album since the tracks mostly qualify as B-side material. They never really take off and when they do like on 'Crossfire' it sounds just like...The Killers. Don't quit your daytime job with The Killers yet Brandon.

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