Spinvis makes music that drifts. That swims around in the air, airy without the usual abundance of synthesisers. That feels restless without the stressful element, not panicking about the fact that it hasn’t found the direction of its journey yet. Floating with the musical current instead of fighting it, adrift among the chords and lyrics that swim so effortlessly in the open sea.
If you’ve never heard of Spinvis or Eric de Jong before, that means you are probably not Dutch. So here’s the basics: In 2002, Eric de Jong sent some of his homemade recordings to a record label which loved it, produced the album and established de Jong (now making music under the name Spinvis) as a lo-fi, indie cult artist. Especially his 2006 album Dagen van gras, Dagen van stro gained him wider recognition. This record featured the now to be reviewed single Ik wil alleen maar zwemmen (I only want to be swimming).
Muddled clap tracks, laid back guitar picks, close vocals, so close that we can hear Spinvis breathing. We can hear him speaking into the microphone. Holy reverb on the background hallelujahs, a shaker to bring some movement to the track, and a brassy synthesiser solo. The magic of Ik wil alleen maar zwemmen lies in its deceivingly simple set-up, a simplicity that is relatively quickly abandoned as Spinvis adds on synthesisers, bells, even more background vocals, and a harp of all things. But the simple core that sets up the song remains, the intimacy of his voice, the basic rhythm of the guitar strumming, the shaker as the main percussive element – a strong simplicity that not only mirrors the lyrics in its carefree, free-floating attitude but glues the entire track together. Hé, ik heb geen probleem / Ik heb alles gefikst / ‘k wou nog iets zeggen / Maar ik weet niet meer / Dan was het zeker niks. (Hey, I don’t have a problem / I’ve figured everything out / wanted to say something / but I don’t remember / problably wasn’t important then)
Ik wil alleen maar zwemmen is a single. But its crinkly lo-fi sound beautifully captures an artistic spirit that doesn’t need the bells and whistles to sing out. It lulls you in with its smooth indie soundscape, like the song’s protagonist who only cares about swimming, about drifting in the coolness of the water. Put your head under water. Open your eyes. The air-filled world ceasing to exist. Pressure on your ears and skin. But a beautiful calmness, an indifference to the tumult of the city.
If Ik wil alleen maar zwemmen is indie escapism bottled with lo-fi guitars and intimately close vocals, the single’s B side, Op Een Ochtend in Het Heelal, is a poetic panorama painted of the morning and the fleetingness of words. Minor chords, driving from the first bar, zooming in on multiple moments, multiple people, Spinvis painting pictures of mundane beauty with vocals that barely manage to remain audible over the carpet of minor chords. Timid shuffle percussion, synthesising with the strumming of the guitars. The mundane meets the universal, the macro picture colliding with the micro. Sombre, almost melancholic is de Jong’s voice as he describes the simultaneity of new life and death, the fleetingness of a politician’s words and the misfortunes of a brass band whose sheet music is carried away by the wind. That lyrical moment is beautifully painted by a subtle brass band swing taking hold of the rhythm, pushing the sweeping strings aside for a brief moment of lyrical and musical synthesis.
Both songs drift in their own different ways. Ik wil alleen maar zwemmen floats carefree, just following the stream, the water clean and crisp, every pebble visible, every wave a crinkle that smoothly carries you downstream. Op Een Ochtend in Het Heelal feels more restless, standing on the shore, wind blowing in your face, an uncertainty of who to be and where to go and yet an appreciation for the multifaceted world your looking out to. The minor and the major. The carefree and the struggling. The personal and the observational. The River and the Sea. Musical and lyrical multiplicity distilled down to just two songs, two songs that capture Spinvis’ musical essence quite convincingly.
The Dad Anthology 