With the 1974 album, the Amsterdam group Nits celebrated their thirtieth anniversary in 2004. In that time frame they managed to build up a unique (cult) status in far-flung corners of the world. Keywords are: minimalism, pop music, European culture and a touch of cabaret. Nothing is celebrated on the successor Les Nuits, because this time the group opted for a dark and extremely fragile sound.
Singer and guitarist Henk Hofstede whispers more than he sings and muses pessimistically in the song The Key Shop that war and peace are linked like Siamese twins. Keyboardist Robert Jan Stips and percussionist Rob Kloet keep the arrangements small and there are just as sparse and tasteful contributions from the Mondriaan Quartet. The sombre tone has been worked out down to the last detail and conceptually, underlining Hofstede's artist background once again. The fact that they are not afraid of artistic pretensions is perhaps the greatest strength of Nits, also on this strong album. This version of Les Nuits contains a bonus of four video clips. (MR)more
