Quartet Niek Hilkmann - Cool Lakes

“Sticky currant buns at the gas station.” With a band name that suggests we are dealing with a somewhat old-fashioned jazz combo, you would not expect this to be one of the first sentences on Koele Meren, the new album by Kwartet Niek Hilkmann.

You could easily call Niek Hilkmann the Dutch Jonathan Richman. The deadpan observations and existential, introspective lyrics recall the man's best work. Richman looked to The Velvet Underground for inspiration at the time and it is clear that the instrumental foundations of 'Koele Meren' are also partly indebted to the primitive rock 'n' roll of Reed, Cale, Morrison and Tucker.

By constantly surprising you with unexpected observations and discoveries, the listener gets a glimpse into Hilkmann's mind. He peels himself off as if it were an onion and the listener discovers an existential subject that occupies the Rotterdam songwriter under each layer. These are often weighty themes, but the quartet leaves enough room for a light note and wraps the whole in catchy songs.

Koele Meren has therefore become a record that on the surface sounds like an excellent Dutch-language alternative pop album, but upon closer inspection reveals a collection of songs that anyone who has ever struggled with the how and why of this life will find comfort and recognition in. “Nothing is lost yet, it's all in my head”.