CD Review: Nits - Malpensa

Written by Petra Whiteley Monday, 23 April 2012 14:55

Artist: Nits
Title: Malpensa
Genre: Alternative/ New Wave/ Progressive Rock
Release Date: 20th April 2012
Label: Global Records

Album Review

NITS haven’t been around as long as the eponymous sounding insect but they’ve been around from 1974 in different line-ups, presently crystallising as a trio. Over the years they had varied approach to the styles of their music, from pop to progressive rock. ‘Malpensa’ is their 25th album. It starts with ‘Five Fingers’ which is a song with a feel of a cabaret and brings to mind LEONARD COHEN. It’s also one of the best moments of the album; the song is much defined in its tone, mood, and distinctive character. The songs afterwards lack in its lustre and energy behind them begins to dwindle, but nevertheless they are still pleasant and many faceted songs with great atmosphere and good feel for a pop song. Interesting would be ‘Man on a wire’.

If you’re too young to remember the act itself, there was a great documentary directed by James Marsh about Philippe Petit’s 1974 high-wire walk between the now non-existent Twin Towers. Another point of interest would be ‘Big Black Boats’ with their experimental nature, the beautifully disorienting sense of the waves created by superb work on the keyboards and drums and subtle guitar. ‘Bad Government and its Effects on Town and Country’ has a good running social commentary and features Colin Benders (KYTEMAN), a hip-hop & jazz trumpeter with some wonderful moments with progressive rock elements throughout, making it an eclectic mix of a song, the only criticism would be that the vocal seemed to be too weak or tired for it. The vocal can be though on best form as in the first song that I have mentioned already and on the closing ‘unnamed’, where it stands as the remarkable part of the song.

An album with a really good quality, reminding you how much of contemporary pop is empty and how much richer it can be both in its essence and in mixing it with a more atmospheric styles, making it sound more interesting. In other words, this tells the youngsters how it should be done. And for the listener something to soothe nerves after a lot of stress and still offer something to think about as well as enjoy.


Tracklist

01. Five Fingers
02. Love-Locks
03. Man on a Wire
04. Blue Things
05. The Poor
06. Schwebebahn
07. Turn
08. Big Black Boats
09. Thing Thing
10. Bad Government and its Effects on Town and Country
11. Paper
12. unnamed


Line-up

Henk Hofsted – vocals, guitars, keyboards
Rob Kloet – drums, percussions
Robert Jan Stips – guitar, backing vocals, occasionally the lead vocals


Websites

http://www.nits.nl/nits/home.html / https://www.facebook.com/nits.nl


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 8
Sound: 7
Total: 7.5 / 10


Buy the album here!