Brothers, Romke and Jan Kleefstra are two artists whose work I enjoy greatly. I discovered them in 2012 through a Home Normal release, Tongerswel. Featuring the bass and contrabass clarinet of Gareth Davis, Tongerswel is a portal into a stark, slow and detailed music. Wide scale swathes of sound slowly shift, evoking horizoned, open spaces. Upon this canvas, Romke's guitar, Gareth's clarinets and Jan's steady recitation's, colour and populate these slowly shifting soundfields through adding more intimate - closer sonic colours. One ensemble Romke and Jan have been a part of since 2010, is Piipstjilling - Mariska Baars - vocals; Jan Kleefstra - words, vocals; Romke Kleefstra - guitars bass and effects and Rutger Zuydervelt - electronics.
Piipstjilling recordings normarily see all members perform live and this recording was recorded in St Thomas' church in Ketlik (here's a YouTube video from another Kleefstra Brothers project, Tsjinlûd - recorded at St Thomas' church). Subject to a transport disfunction on
the day, Mariska recorded her vocal contributions in Kekerdom and they were later
added into the mix. In Spoar translates as, A Track when you put it into g----e translate, although closer again, a Dutch Bandcamp fan translated it as, "getting on the track".
Jan Kleefstra predominantly writes and recites his poetry in Frisian, a language spoken on the border region besides the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany. His recitive style is patient and measured. Themes of nature are central in much of Jan's poetry and he has conveyed being disturbed and concerned by the manner in which industrialisation is negatively affecting the Frisian and global environment. These themes of nature and damage are often interspersed with personal observations of an internal life ... and sometimes another, unidentified someone or something. It may be the reader. It sometimes seems so. A great example of this kind of dialogue is the title track in spoar. Sometimes a thing is described indirectly. Intimated. This contributes a kind of bokeh like impression - I feel moarntiidsreagen does this. Beautifully so.
Many of Mariska's vocals on in spoar are more extended and exploratory than on previous Piipstjilling releases. Wordless coloratura seem to distill a purity to her contributions - whether darkened or uplifting. The ethereal, emotive vocalisations of throat singing feature - perhaps tagelyk deagean best exemplifies this. From the beginning of the song, this vocal style is accompanied by a steadily building hum, which is punctuated by steady sonar like pulse. Singing bowl like drone develop and segue into almost tamboura like, undulating tones. The vocal extends into a folk form approaching a yodel. Jan's intonation of the poem enters in the closing moment's of the piece. Closely miked, muffled clunk, ornament intrusively. A distant utterance snatches. Flittering coloratura build and dissipate.
On as droech reid, a tension is created through (seemingly) deep well located, edgy, muted plucking on guitar. Ebow like sounds glimmer. Mariska intones variously in dirgelike, haunted skirl and other coloratura forms - enfolding and curling, amidst a sparse, echo laden sound field. Romke's guitar develops spare, Robin Guthrie like glissando. Mariska intones more hopefully - like sunburst on an overcast day. Jan recites and the music swells persistently into a scratchy, miasmic flirt.
All of the above are present throughout in spoar's seven songs. It is richly detailed music that rewards with dedicated listening. Naturally, if you have headphones, the experience is that much more enriching.
in spoar released in October 2023, through Cloudchamber Recordings, as digital format and a limited edition cd.
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