artist: Mekanik Kommando release: Shadow of a Rose format: LP, CD year of release: 1986, 2010 label: Rosebud, cat|sun duration: 39:24

detailed info: discogs.com

The name Mekanik Kommando is an express ticket to Dutch underground music of the 1980s, a period which I sadly never got to experience, being born too [...]]]>

2010 CD Cover

artist: Mekanik Kommando
release: Shadow of a Rose
format: LP, CD
year of release: 1986, 2010
label: Rosebud, cat|sun
duration: 39:24

detailed info: discogs.com

The name Mekanik Kommando is an express ticket to Dutch underground music of the 1980s, a period which I sadly never got to experience, being born too late, as they say. Nevertheless, history is there to be discovered, and with the aid of beautiful rereleases like this one, we can experience bits of the music of days gone by. Shadow of a Rose was the fourth studio album by this band, which debuted in 1981 with It Would Be Quiet In The Woods If Only A Few Birds Sing, which was also rereleased in 2010 by tonefloat. Since the original LP, self-released on Rosebud in 1986 is hard to get nowadays, this gatefold digifile remaster and rerelease on cat|sun is a very nice alternative.

The music on this album holds a middle ground between the experimental new wave of the early works and the psychedelic folk of The Use of Ashes, the band which Peter and Simon van Vliet started in the 1990s, and which continues to this day. This combination results in a series of songs with a very original sound, mostly based on acoustic and electric guitars, bass, synths, violin, and subtle drums, but with quite a few sojourns into ambient parts and with loads of freaky effects. A lot of the tracks sound quite folky, with a combination of acoustic guitar and violin, and dreamy almost hippie-like vocals, and in many senses this album was way ahead of the more recent revival of psychedelic folk.

Highlights of the album are found in the third and title track, in which Bennie Stortelder‘s violin combines perfectly with the melodies worked out in the bass and guitar arrangement. Later on, the track features some nice percussion, and vocals by keyboardist Mirjam van Hout, which fades nicely into “Where the Wolf Sleeps”, an experimental piece somewhat in the direction of early Dead Can Dance. Another nice track is “Run Rintintin Run”, a bass-driven instrumental that really brings a smile to your face. From a musical point of view, the experimental “Wings of the Dragon” is perhaps the most interesting and original track.

Despite a lot of good points, listening back, this is not a totally mind-blowing album. I’m not particularly fond of the heavily accented vocals, and in general the songwriting, though with a lot of original bits scattered around, doesn’t really command your attention at all times in the way better albums do. What’s left, though, is a very original album with definite highlights that was really ahead of its time in some ways.

Shadow of a Rose is therefore highly recommended both for its own merits, and as piece of musical history, being an essential link in the chain of alternative and psychedelic folk from the 1960s till today, released in a decade which was perhaps a low point in this tradition. And, as said, the quality of the cat|sun rerelease will definitely not disappoint you.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. River Of Singers (3:06)
2. The Blue Western Sea (4:39)
3. Shadow Of A Rose (4:46)
4. Where The Wolf Sleeps (2:26)
5. A Picnic In The Castlegarden (4:28)
6. Scars (2:18)
7. Run Rintintin Run (5:49)
8. Wings Of The Dragon (6:16)
9. First Snow (3:42)
10. First Reprise (1:55)

From Nijmegen in the Netherlands hails The Use of Ashes, a band consisting of the brothers Peter and Simon van Vliet, and Maarten Scherrenburg. The first two were active in [...]]]> artist: The Use of Ashes
release: White Nights: Glowing Lights
format: LP, CD
year of release: 2009
label: tonefloat
duration: 45:37

From Nijmegen in the Netherlands hails The Use of Ashes, a band consisting of the brothers Peter and Simon van Vliet, and Maarten Scherrenburg. The first two were active in the early 80′s in the avantgarde wave band Mekanik Kommando. Their style has changed over the years though, and this latest album (second in the White Nights series) is firmly in the realm of psychedelic folk.

For me, this album is somewhat of a mixed bag. The overall sound is rich and wonderful; a blend of folk with experimental and dronish parts, and above all a great ear for detail and sophisticated sound design. It reminds me perhaps perhaps most of Twelve Thousand Days in terms of style, though The Use of Ashes lacks the appeal of a unique and excellent vocalist like Martyn Bates. The is at least in part compensated for by the lavishness of the sound.

The main turn-off for me, however, is that a number of tracks on White Nights: Glowing Nights (such as the opener and “Stranger in Paradise”) wax somewhat too sugary-sweet, expressed in the lyrics, vocals, and general atmosphere. It’s something of an acquired taste, perhaps, and part of artistic expression. It might not bother other people, but it doesn’t do much for me personally. What is clear to me, however, is that the band’s main strength lies in composition and sound design, rather than text or vocals. This can be heard in some of the highlight tracks like the excellent misty neofolk of “Falling from the Sky” or the folky drones of “9 Glowing Lights”.

Altogether, White Nights: Glowing Lights is a pleasant album that fits neatly into the psych side of the tonefloat roster, with artists like Porcupine Tree and Sand Snowman. The spectre of Pink Floyd is ever present. If you’re open to a well-succeeded Dutch psych folk album with a bright and sweet atmosphere, this is well worth your attention. Personally, I can’t help but feel that it is a bit less interesting and original than the stuff that went on in the Mekanik Kommando days.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Morgenstern (The Umbrella Jigsaw Man) (2:26)
2. Falling from the Sky (5:32)
3. Stranger in Paradise (1:55)
4. Forever Comes with the Morning (1:55)
5. Zeit (1:14)
6. Kiss the Light (2:10)
7. Dark White Planet (2:43)
8. Dongal Taleteller (Part 2) (1:04)
9. White Night (0:31)
10. King of the Moon (0:53)
11. Lazy Daisy Day (3:07)
12. Eidolon (Days Are Darker Nights) (4:53)
13. The Sky-Cracked Children (0:58)
14. The Prince With the Golden Hair (3:07)
15. Stiller Berg (2:30)
16. 9 Glowing Lights (7:35)
17. White Dream (2:00)
18. Endstille (1:04)