'Nicolaas Van Reenen - Water Blister'

If you follow the Cape Town music scene to any degree it is possible that you have come across this guy being mentioned. Nicolaas Van Reenen is the guitarist for both the instrumental band Bateleur as well as the afro-electro outfit Mshini Wam. What you might not be aware of is that Nicolaas also writes and records his own music sporadically, though he does not usually release any of it.

I have one of his tracks Water Blister here and it is a very strange outing. The guitar melody in the beginning of the track has a definite brightness about it but the textures surrounding it are far more melancholic. The vocals evoke a certain haunting nonchalance but even through their strangeness it seems there is some mutated pop sensibility hidden in them. The drums drop in after a point with precision and fury and yet rather than pushing the song into groovier territory the percussion pulls and adds even more to the moody atmosphere.

The second half of the track is a sound scape in the truest sense. The fleeting and chaotic clarinet sputtering around evokes the imagery of agitated seagulls and the dreamy guitar seems to drift precariously between lethargy and foreboding.

This sounds to me like a surf rock song written by someone who loathes the seashore. All the elements it conjures seem oppressive rather than disarming. The seagulls are stealing his food, the water is too cold, all the while he is suffering from one one hell of a hangover.

All this culminates into an interesting listening experience but one that is not particularly accessible. This will not please everyone but people with an interest in the esoteric will find something here that is understated, interesting and strangely beautiful.

oh and you can hear it here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?30qqh1cw4chsis4

Listen.