Spinvis

For the second Dutch entry on the user list we get the debut album of Spinvis. It is an collection of strange indie pop songs with introvert lyrics. For listeners not understanding the lyrics it is probably a mediocre album and a bit boring full of inadequate vocal performances. If you understand te lyrics most of these are quite touching. For example "Ronnie gaat naar huis" about someone leaving an institution going back to the outside world. The only lacking this quality is "Handige Tante - Jonge Met Geld".

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Bagagedrager, Vook ik vergeet, Herfst en nieuwegein

This was pretty cruisy. Definitely worse things out there. 4/5.

That was a good suggestion for the list. Not my language at all so I didn’t understand a thing sung. However, from listening to it you can tell it seemed awesome. For some reason for me it evoked with a Sparklehorse or Eels at times.

Pretty interesting overall, it's nice to have a someone from this particular of the world (which I think of as Scandanavian-adjacent though I know it's not really the same) eschew the market-friendly choice of singing in English, though of course I couldn't understand a word ad a result. Extra point for the whole middle-aged guy swing at the Art-grail.

Musically I really like this. But, and I feel bad saying this, the Dutch language just doesn't sound especially pleasant to my ears. 3 stars.

Had nearly zero expectations going into this, and have little thoughts coming out of it, but it is certainly one of those albums you can tell I could've pulled more from if I could understand more than a small pledge to the drummer Mike Clark.

A total delight although it's weird to hear Dutch Moby singing in Dutch (I'm just not used to it!)

Liked the music a lot, if I understood the lyrics it would be much higher I suspect. 3.4

I’m good thanks

The music's pretty chill, like Radiohead-lite. And the singer dude kinda sounds like he's mutter-singing in English then needs to clear his throat and hock a loogie. Then I remember he's singing in another language, and it dawns on me I have no fucking clue what he's singing, or singing about.

Apple Music said this was electronic and maybe it was? Very DUTCH that’s for certain

Dutch is a made up language I never imagined it would sound good in a song I think that was because it is not a possibility But songs are pretty interesting 3

Being a typical American, my exposure to European is language is minimal. I will say the voice went exceptionally well with the music, and I really liked the music

Spreek je Nederlands? "Smalfilm" and "Astronaut" are absolute gems. The rest is pretty good "homemade" pop where DIY methods actually yields to very lush results, astonishingly. I understand why this album made waves in the field of neder-pop. 3/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums.. 8/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 52 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 72 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 129 (including this one -- Feel like this one could be placed in a separate book about modern pop rock practiced in other languages than English: the 1001 number feels way too small if you have to take all these other international acts into account) --- Émile. Ça y est, j'ai *enfin* répondu (en deux temps). Tu trouveras ça sous les reviews des disques de Blackalicious et Alexisonfire au dessus.

Nice tunes, reminded me of Stereolab in places

Een solide drie.

Very dreamy music, somewhere between pop, rock and maybe some triphop (ala Massive Attack). Not the best vocalist, a bit too mumbled at times. Lyrics are very introvert.

I like this well enough although I think I would’ve probably liked it more had I understood the lyrics.

This guy sounds like he'd shoot green phlegm balls at me from a distance like an enemy from a video game that deals half a heart of damage. Nothing against my Dutch friends, but some languages just sound prettier to my ears than others, ya get me. Not bad though. A bit Stereolab-ish.

So much emphasis on the fact it's not in English...... This is pretty pleasant but run of the mill stuff in my view.

Impressive story. I'm happy he found his musical talent after 30 and achieved good success. Additionally, I appreciate his skill, given that he is a one-person band. Despite it, I could not engage. I don't understand the lyrics, but that is not the reason. I can enjoy plenty of stuff without understanding it. However, the songs sounded too generic to my taste, and except for the last song, which is fantastic, all the others were only good, skilled music with no highlights.

Tune wise I like but the language has an ugly tone to it

Yeah, it was ok.

Challenging listen, this was. Foreign language, spacey instrumentals, kind of harsh vocals

“The best Dutch album of the 21st century” produced in 2002. Big call. At least another 97 years to wait for something better!

Well it's a good story and it's always good to listen to something a bit different but it is exactly what you might expect from a 41 year old who works in a post sorting office.

Like a Dutch Soulwax, but not quite as good. Very varied, not terrible, interesting at points, but not one I would be pushing forward for a place in the book.

Spinvis is nice and easy listening, Dutch so has a limited impact overall, and some of the production choices weren't my favourite, but it's generally alright. Bagagedrager, Voor Ik Vergeet and Limonadeglazen Vodka all good, probably just misses a 3 because it doesn't do anything for me.