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De Kift | Koper

12 1/2 years of Dutch individuality.
CD, V2

Tekst: Martÿn ter Haar

Publicatiedatum: 08 november 2001

De Kift celebrate their twelve-and-a-half year anniversary with the release of 'Koper', which means both copper and brass, pointing to the importance of this class of instruments for these art-folk-punkers. 'Koper' is an album worthy of such a happy occasion, being De Kift's (The Envy) best album so far. In these years, they have developed their own unique style, which is best described as a brass band drunk on vodka playing Beefheart classics on second-hand instruments in New Orleans. Or something to that effect. On their previous album 'Vlaskoorts', they started using vocal harmonies to great effect, and on 'Koper' the arrangements of not only these harmonies, but also of the instrumentation have matured even further, reaching dizzying heights on the heart-wrenchingly beautiful 'Vorstin' ('Queen') and the sinister 'Kreupele Nagtegaal' ('Lame Nightingale'). The music sounds like it is centuries old (and a few songs are indeed based on folk melodies), yet it is full of unexpected twists that are still somehow completely logic. The same goes for the Weltschmerz-filled lyrics. When their original singer and lyricist left, guitarist Ferry Heyne took over the vocal duties. The problem was that he wasn't good at writing lyrics, so he just stole them from novels and poems, something he still does. So the lyrics for 'Koper' were written by, among others, Byron, Nabokov, Checkhov, and Jerofejev, but like any good sampling artist Heyne makes something that is completely his own from these fragments. And, like its predecessors, 'Koper' is a concept album, this time about the impossible relation between an honest man of humble origins and a dark queen, told in the slightly archaic language of those long-dead writers. Don't expect anything straight-forward though, because as said before: The lyrics follow the same twisted logic as the music. And don't be afraid you won't understand them, because they are in Dutch; an English translation is provided, so everyone can enjoy such gems as, "it is useless to live without a home or a fatherland and never to see your child. Everyone who claims this is a good life has cold, pale hands." Those lyrics are printed on the back of baseball/football-type cards, which can be glued into a special anniversary album, available on De Kift's website or at their concerts. Of course, not all cards are provided, so you will have to exchange with other fans. For De Kift offer not only great music and lyrics, but a complete concept, which always includes original packaging for the album, and for 'Vlaskoorts', also the movie 'De IJzeren Hond' ('The Iron Dog') to accompany the album. All we can do here at KindaMuzik is respectfully congratulate De Kift with their anniversary and the release of this brilliant album and wish them the best for the future.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/recensie/de-kift/koper/970/
Meer De Kift op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/de-kift