Published on Sep 24, 2004
Big buzzy guitars, spacey vocals, hypnotic repetition and a
decidedly European avant-garde vibe… take Bowie, sprinkle
with Moby (for moodiness and trance qualities), and fold in some
Jet (for decibels and energy), and you have the latest Dutch treat
to make it across the pond, the Netherlands’ own Cafebar 401.
Led by Tije Oortwijn (guitars, vocals, songwriting, production),
Cafebar whips up a high-energy concoction full of melody and
off-center attitude. “I read a book about your life,” sings
Oortwijn at one point. “It gave me a headache.” LOL… and
there’s more where that came from.
I don’t know if anybody dances to power chords these days, but
having survived the disco era, I’m intrigued by the possibilities
of throbbing numbers like “Something Worth Dying For” and “Full Pro
Disco!” (which sounds more like Black Sabbath than Donna Summer).
Both offer flashes of a kind of emo soft/hard feel that’s explored
further on tracks like “Lost Without You” and the disc’s first
single, “I Need To Know.”
There are also some quiet-and-thoughtful moments captured here,
notably on the piano ballad “Troubles.” But Cafebar more typically
provides the kind of sonic jolt implied by their caffeinated name
— not to mention song titles like “Bob Ross On Drugs.” Frenetic,
frothy, yearning, melodic, trance-y… these are not
adjectives you commonly see nested together, but Cafebar achieves
them all along the way.
In addition to mastermind Tije Oortwijn, the band includes
Martijn Masman (bass), Dennis Kleinlangevelsloo (guitars) and Wout
Oosterwechel (drums), whose names I have included in this review
principally to try to make you laugh out loud like I did the first
time I read them. (No doubt the Dutch feel the same way about Jack
Johnson.)
Cafebar 401’s U.S. invasion is in the capable hands of Wampus
Multimedia; you can pick up this disc with a few quick clicks at
www.wampus.com. If you’re looking for something
a little unusual — kind of off-center, sometimes soft and
sometimes hard, somewhat continental and consistently well put
together — you could go out searching for Uma Thurman, or you
could just belly up to the Cafebar. They won’t disappoint… and
they won’t attack you with a large sword, either.