Johan is a model for many indie bands in the Dutch club circuit. Any frivolity or charisma is strange to frontman Jacob de Greeuw and although there is occasional careful rocking, the live shows certainly do not come off the roof. Johan distinguishes himself through the plates, each of them carefully constructed works with the melancholic Pergola (2001) as the provisional highlight. It earned the
… band modest cult status, with writer and fan Joost Zwagerman as a tireless advocate. Four is the successor to THX Johan, a record that as always was well received but of which little stuck in the end. It has led to some changes in the beacons. For the first time, songs by the other band members can be heard, and more was unpacked in the arrangements, with strings, horns and sometimes even real noise. That could have been continued a bit further. Producer from the very beginning Frans Hagenaars has let many of these fresh ideas disappear in a somewhat dusty overall sound. As a result, Four ultimately sounds too unspoken to surprise. (MS)more
