January 2015 - Here Comes The Flood
Dutch country noir with a French twist. Ways And Needs Of A Night Horse, the new full-length by Point Quiet, explores the dark side of Americana. Embedded in gentle melodies they sing about loss and death, even naming one of their songs Threnody, Greek for a memorial song.
Lead singer and lyricist Pascal Hallibert has a slightly hoarse voice that blends in well with the soft spoken music. A bit of Tex Mex by using trumpet, trombone and accordion, a nod to Ennio Morricone in the intro of Trembling Star, old school country slide guitar in The Man I Once Was, this is a band wearing their influences up front. With Simone Manuputty playing the violin and the viola ("the saddest of all instruments" according to John Cale) and Jan van Bijnen's broad pallet of instruments they can apply touches of colour to the bleak lyrics. Recommended if you like 16 Horsepower and The Handsome Family.
Point Quiet:
Pascal Hallibert: vocals, guitar, Hammond organ, mandoline
Hans Custers: double bass, trombone, guitar
Daan van Diest: drums, percussion
Simone Manuputty: violin, viola, vocals, harmonium
Jan van Bijnen: pedal steel, dobro, mandolin, banjo, vibraphone, harmonica, glockenspiel, trumpet, accordion, percussion, vocals
Ways And Needs Of A Night Horse will be released on February 16th by Continental Records Europe. Also available for preorder from the band's own webshop Innerstate 65. Download free MP3s of Ways And Needs Of A Night Horse and The West Wind.
Tracks:
(Hans Werksman)