With Pergola (2001) the Hoorn band Johan made one of the most beautiful Dutch guitar pop records of all time. Johan's songs are almost without exception written by Jacco / Jacob de Greeuw, with The Beatles and REM as the main points of reference. With his much-discussed depressions, as a result of which he is regularly unproductive for long periods, De Greeuw fulfills the classic romantic image of
… the troubled genius. Five years is now the fixed period between Johan's albums and it was also worth the wait for the third album. Songs like Oceans and the opener Coming In From The Cold settle in the head after the first listen. Other songs have to grow a bit longer, but each and every one of them is sunny pop songs, where a small rain cloud is always lurking. With THX JHN, Johan has made an album that fans can easily play for another five years. (MS)more
