Ex Orkest - Een Rondje Holland
(Ex)
There are good bands and there are great bands, and I've always considered the Ex to be a Great band (with a capital letter). Relentlessly pursuing their political goals while constantly evolving their sound, their 20+ year history is rich with wonders. From their early Crass-influenced sound to the free-jazz improv work with Hann Bennink, the Ex have always stayed fresh.
This latest project finds the group assembling a 20-piece big band, re-arranging their music and recording with new lyrics by a certain Jan Mulder. Many familiar Ex compositions are present, including some from the latest record and even their brilliant collaborations with Tom Cora from almost a decade ago.
The recordings are live, and sometimes the more "rock" instruments dominate the mix, making it difficult to hear the contrabassoons or whatever. All of the songs are sung in Dutch, which removes some degree of the immediacy; still, the four vocalists all bark the lyrics in a G.W. Sok-like manner, so even the non-Sok voices sound like they are singing for the Ex.
The best part of the record is the weird whispering in some of the songs. Sounding like a ghost, it gives the music a creepy feeling that contributes to the edgy attack. This gives the music a weird Tom Waits/Nightmare Before Christmas atmosphere that is quite welcome, and not anything like what the Ex has done previously.
While this in no way compares to the landmark records made with Tom Cora, the Ex Orkest shows the ambitious musical ideas of the Ex without compromising their intent. I sort of wish that their free/improv tendencies were a bit more flagrant, but a 20-piece improv big band might not be something the Ex are ready for yet.
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