Jacques Van Erven - Tunes & Scenery (Hard To Whistle) [Futura Resistenza]

Originally released back in 1984 as a C46 cassette tape via Eksakt Records and now unearthed for a first time on vinyl reissue via Rotterdam-based label Futura Resistenza is Jacques Van Erven's album debut "Tunes & Scenery (Hard To Whistle)". Spanning a total of 15 tracks and put on the circuit with an additional poster and extended information sheet / art print the album presents an unexpected explorative fusion of analogue synthesizers and 80s keyboards alongside drums, mouth harp as well as marimba and ukulele lines in which the producer, composer and painter from the greater Eindhoven area fuses both influences from Jazz Noir, PostPunk and experimental NoWave and also the German Ingenious Dilletantes movement, all amalgamated with a certain feel for Exotica as well as a dystopian, somewhat militant attitude which is prevalent in the brutal, hard hitting drum hits of the opener "Tango Cuoca" whereas the leaden Industrial Ambient soundscapes and fever'ish rhythm signatures of  "Paper Clip 1-2-3" are exploring a very special kind of madness. On the other hand a tune like "Pigeons On The Rock" is surprisingly laid back in its own, somewhat clunky and mechanical way, "It's Not Always May" surely will appeal to fans of band projects like C Cat Trance, "Krimi Mit C. Orff" is as tense and intense as stripped down, hyperexperimental PostPunk can get and "Whistling Jack Trivira" even seems to be flirting with the artists very own unique interpretation of postapocalyptic Waltz before switching gears and steering towards a way darker, grueling destination. Furthermore "Twelve Lines Of The First Chapter" present a twisted take on Spoken Word and Western vibes, "I Hear The Rhythm And The Others" could be filed as Tribal-infused ProtoIndustrial, "Down Down" aims straight at the heart of the advanced dancefloor with its lo-if PostPunk meets (No)Wave / Goth attitude whereas "Aux Couleur De France ('T Rode Bokje)" clearly harks back to subtle tape manipulation just to name a few our favorites here. An album unique and outstanding in its own right, yet also bearing witness of the greyscal'ish desolation and nuclear angst which played a big part in shaping overall society and the art scene of the 80s.