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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Four albums in and it just gets better and better, December 8, 2001
It would be both simplistic and short-sighted to say that something happened between Dust Bunnies and Private Suit, but the following is still the case: whereas the former - to a certain degree - returned the Betties to the uptempo bubblegum and power pop of their debut days, the latter sees the Dutch band in a far more thoughtful and melancholy state. By its very title Dust Bunnies seems to trumpet itself as a wonderfully frivolous album, the cover art all sunny and pooch friendly, with the gay abandon of a naked female thrown in just for the sheer laughs. The cute dog on Palomine had a similar effect. In contrast, the woman that graces the cover of this latest release is caught in a private moment, she doesn't know she is being watched, and the onlooker's very morals are being challenged. Whereas Palomine and Dust Bunnies were, to varying degrees, somewhat lighter albums, Private Suit reveals a real depth to an altogether excellent band.
Bettie Serveert have always been a gloriously ramshackle troupe, tinny and box heavy, hailing back to the workman-like ethic of band members carrying their own gear, setting themselves up on a dingy stage - the Ahoy! Or the Paradiso - with naked bulbs for lighting, and then hammering out a frenzied twenty-minute set. It cannot be any other way with an ensemble containing the double whammy of Peter Visser and Carol Van Dyk. However tight and rhythmic the pounding drum and bass engine may be, eventually the jagged wail of Visser's guitar will cut it's way through. However dark and brooding the production may get, there is still the point where Carol's perfectly flawed voice comes shimmering into the mix like crushed diamonds. John Parish has done fine things with this album. It is rich and passionate and haunting. The band have broken away from the confinement of the bass/drums/guitar standard and positively soar, surrounded as they are by such diverse instrumentation as tambourine, marimba, rhodes, vibraphone and strings. With the further complement of cool backing vocals provided by various band members and special guests this is a tremendous album, full of outstanding melodies and gradually penetrating hooks. It is both immediately accessible and yet demands repeated listening.
From the surface to the core these songs are brilliantly constructed. Every weird whistle or siren, crazy arabesque woodwind and punctuated guitar lick is carefully placed. After being captivated by Carol's controlled and full-bodied vocal, each subsequent listen reveals a further level, another instrument, an undiscovered harmony - and eventually you become aware of Herman's mesmerising bassline weaving its way throughout.
The title track is a drunken discordant number. It rattles forth with a disarming snare before the strings swing in like they're soaked in whisky. This is completely exhilarating; with Carol slurring her amorous romanticisms it sets the theme for the entire album, a theme perpetuated by the off-kilter hammond on Satisfied, the rolling organ melody-line in ReCall, or the startling reverse-drum effect on Healer. The whole thing is a positively intoxicating mix. Although the album could hardly be called up-tempo, there are several pounding numbers nevertheless: A jarring piano chord strikes again and again at the start of ReCall until it is joined by a listing guitar line. When the main riff starts up it leaves the piano off the beat before it is swallowed up altogether by the driving a repetitive melody. In Sower & Seeds the band are unstoppable, Carol's passionate singing made all the more personal as her voice falters at the end of each held note; and Peter Visser, given some rein towards the song's conclusion reciprocates with a rip-roaring guitar frenzy.
Backing vocals - not something immediately associated with Bettie Serveert - are used to wondrous effect here. From Peter and Herman's garage band chant on Unsound to the beautiful understated humming on the gorgeous Auf Wiedersehen they bring a satisfyingly warm feeling to the whole proceedings. White Tales gradually builds to a towering Strangleresque crescendo; and the countermelody that graces the latter half of Satisfied is just fab. In fact, let's talk about endings. Great care has been made to end powerfully whether it be the individual songs or the album as a whole. There is the counterpoint finale and shrill guitar echo that concludes Unsound. When everything falls back and gives way to the marimbas in Satisfied it just takes your breath away. And Healer closes the album with spoken word - you heard me, I said spoken word. In amongst all of this is the unhinged amalgamation of childish piano waltz and heaving classical cacophony that is My Fallen Words. And the constant delight of Carol's lyrics. At times seeming as if the have been translated directly from the original language, these words will have you pondering forever.
This is the stuff of musical genius. Four superb albums in and Bettie Serveert have shifted gear and thrown open the throttle. The road ahead is ablaze with anticipation. The great travesty is that this band have not been given the recognition they really deserve.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely put this one on, February 8, 2003
This has become one of my favorite CDs. Its never far from my player. The music is varied, mature, deeply personal and moving. The sophistication is remarkable (near the end of the song "Private Suit," for example, the constrast between Carol's reassuring words and the guitar in the background sounding like a heart being torn to pieces is, for want of a better word, art.) I find most of the songs pull me right into new worlds. Fascinating and heady stuff - go get it!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dutch rockers produce sophisticated new disc, September 5, 2000
The tune "Tom Boy" from Bettie Serveert's breakthrough album Palomine in 1992 was one of my favorite songs of that year. A triumphant rock anthem that deserved to be more widely heard, "Tom Boy" got me doing the air guitar thing every time I heard it. Eight years later and the band has changed drummers, but their sound is still unique and worth hearing. Over the intervening 3 or 4 records, they've evolved -- the songs on Private Suit offer more complexity and sophistication than Palomine's relatively straightforward attack. They're using a broader palette this time around, supplementing the basic rock quartet with strings, organ, an "octopad," and even some Near Eastern sounds. However, the group's strengths are still Carol Van Dyk's vocals - slightly deeper than in '92, but no less bewitching - and Peter Visser's soaring guitars. A mere two minutes into the first cut, "Unsound" and I was captivated by Peter's exceptional guitar playing. The CD's eleven songs range from melodic, folky pop ("White Tales," "My Fallen Words") to exuberant rock ("ReCall"). Not every song is a complete success, but the album holds together well taken as a whole. I'd give it 3-1/2 stars if I could.
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