NiCad

NiCad, an alt rock band from the Netherlands, sounds as if it could have sprung up in Denver or the Bronx. This five-piece sometimes sounds really organic, but then will dip into grunge. But through all of it, their lyrics (in English) come out very understandable, which sometimes is a feat for American punkers or loud rockers. One reason for this may be the international flavor of the band. NiCad is composed of one American, one German, one Israeli, one Chilean, and one Japanese musician. This may also be a factor why this group has been able to book tours not only in their homeland of the Netherlands, but also in Belgium, Israel, Germany, and France. Next fall, they will tour North America. From the diversity in musical styles I heard, they will find many new fans here.
- skopemagazine

Crossover
NICAD
Everyday I Grow.

The characters that build the name NiCad, represent the countries where the members of the band originate from: Nippon (Japan), Israel, Chile, America and Duitsland (Germany).

This Quintet met at the conservatory in The Hague and their début is as diverse as their background. The music really goes all over the place. If the songs have anything in common, it must be that you can dance to most of it. This is because there is funk in their rock songs, Latin in their jazz, rock in their hip-hop, or modern electronics in their blues. When it does get difficult to dance to it is because of its’ avant-garde character, and when it is completely impossible, the sound is wonderfully special or the song touchingly beautiful. Literally a world band from the Hague.

Translation by Fanny Winkelman
- Het OOR, by WILLEM JONGENEELEN

In the packed hall of ‘Het Paard van Troje’ yesterday, ‘The Hill’ by NiCad was announced to be ‘Best Hague CD of 2008’.
NiCad is made out of ex-conservatory students from Chile, America, Germany, Israel and Japan, who all live in The Hague.
The band makes electronic pop/rock.
‘The Hill’ was chosen from a total of 61 in The Hague released albums. The cd was named to be ‘daring and very mature’, with an ‘international, almost un-Hague sound. NiCad is experimental but very accessible’, according to the jury, which existed of Nico Heemelaar (AD Haagsche krant), Gerard van den IJssel (Haags Pop Podium op Den Haag FM), Rob Vondracek (Stork On Air op Radio West), Remco van der Ham (3VOOR12/Den Haag) en Pauline Aarts (De Posthoorn).
The election was held for the tenth time. Last year the Hague singer Anouk won the election.

- OOR

Review of CD everyday I grow
29.07.06

“…The music is very diverse, original, enjoyable, but not specifically commercial. It is influenced by progressive rock, electronics, jazz, classic rock, avant-garde, post rock, funk and blues. To my opinion one cannot easily put them in a specific genre.
This melting pot of music students makes gems of compositions, which are very suitable for broad-minded listeners. One moment you can unwind to a poppy ballad, to get jolted back to your senses again with drastically contorted vocals.
Electronics also play a big part in this CD. Not surprisingly, as these guys have all studied ‘Electronic Music Composition’ and ‘Live Performance’.
…..The production is superb and there are people who, after listening just once, can already sing along to the choruses of some of the songs. The arrangements are open and are nowhere packed with instruments, which shows they know their way around the centre of the frequency spectrum. The music is quite variable and adventurous to listen to. You have to listen to this CD more than once to get behind the ‘binding thought’. I would really like to recommend number ten: Not convinced. The album is quite lengthy and it looks as if the musicians mainly want to get across as much as possible. Considering the structure of the band, this doesn’t surprise me much. It seems to me a hearth of inspiration. To make a choice must be difficult. With a little trimming here and there, even the commercial market will welcome NiCad with open arms.”

Translation by Fanny Winkelman
- Verse Noten by Arjen Kalkman

25 april 2006

The Hague is home base to the international band NiCad. The musicians come from Japan, The Netherlands, Israel, Chile, America and Germany. Giving various performances, the band has already obtained acknowledgement in The Hague’s music scene, but seeks to build up a reputation outside this city borders now with the release of it’s first CD Everyday I grow.
The musicians met at the institute of Sonology, which is part of the Royal Conservatory -The Hague, attending this course concerning experimental electronic music.
Everyday I Grow however didn’t turn out to be a project of sonology. Although it contains a lot of electronics, this is mainly used to complement the songs, which form the basis of the music.
Electronic Indie Funk
Considering the conservatory background of this sextet, it is not surprising that they have a great command of their musical instruments. But that what makes the band unique is the combination of musical mastery and the originality of the compositions. A broad range of styles pass by, without the band giving away its’ sound, which has been described as Electronic Indie Funk.
Chameleonic
Because the various styles fluently dissolve in each other, often even within the same song, this rich diversity is not perceived as superfluous. The Grey for instance sets off as minimal acoustic Blues, but gets enriched with keyboard and electronics as it progresses to almost resemble a grand-daddy song at the end of it.
Or, as in Questions out loud, the albums’ most poppy and radio friendly song, which features a progressive rock session halfway through.
Electronics
At the end of the album, the electronics take over. The second to last song, Close contains some lyrics, but is completely orchestrated with fine electronic sounds. It advances into the ending track Way Out, an instrumental electronic piece that reminds of Aphex Twin. On its’ own, this track is really eccentric in relation to the rest of the album, but while listening, it appears to become, with mounting vehemence and beautiful synthesizer melodies, the grand finale of the previous track.
Promise
It is exceptional to hear a band master and transmit such a variety of styles, without the music turning out chaotic and incoherent. Everyday I grow, shows that Nicad is indeed a growing band, deserving more attention from the national media than has been given so far. We can only hope that these musicians will stay on in The Netherlands also after finishing their studies.

Translation by Fanny Winkelman
- 8 weekly. Vincent Dijkema

Review of CD everyday I grow
29.07.06

“…The music is very diverse, original, enjoyable, but not specifically commercial. It is influenced by progressive rock, electronics, jazz, classic rock, avant-garde, post rock, funk and blues. To my opinion one cannot easily put them in a specific genre.
This melting pot of music students makes gems of compositions, which are very suitable for broad-minded listeners. One moment you can unwind to a poppy ballad, to get jolted back to your senses again with drastically contorted vocals.
Electronics also play a big part in this CD. Not surprisingly, as these guys have all studied ‘Electronic Music Composition’ and ‘Live Performance’.
…..The production is superb and there are people who, after listening just once, can already sing along to the choruses of some of the songs. The arrangements are open and are nowhere packed with instruments, which shows they know their way around the centre of the frequency spectrum. The music is quite variable and adventurous to listen to. You have to listen to this CD more than once to get behind the ‘binding thought’. I would really like to recommend number ten: Not convinced. The album is quite lengthy and it looks as if the musicians mainly want to get across as much as possible. Considering the structure of the band, this doesn’t surprise me much. It seems to me a hearth of inspiration. To make a choice must be difficult. With a little trimming here and there, even the commercial market will welcome NiCad with open arms.”

Translation by Fanny Winkelman
- Verse Noten by Arjen Kalkman

19 februari 2006

Beaming with pride, the five gents of the band NiCad presented their first official CD to the public on Saturday February 18, and justly so. Besides giving a very good performance, the musicians succeeded in recording the many various tracks in high quality on their album Everyday I Grow.

Introduced with an arousing beat, the band members of NiCad joined in one by one. The location suited the band very well. The crowd became noiseless whenever a sensitive song was being played and became wildly enthusiastic whenever the musicians gave everything they had.

For having an animated conversation in ‘Haags’ (the dutch dialect spoken in the Hague), you would have come to the wrong place during this CD presentation. The public’s background was probably as diverse as that of the band members themselves. The gentlemen might live in The Hague and have all studied at the conservatory in The Hague, but they all originate from different countries. The name of the band is made up of the first characters of these countries.

A well-known complaint about conservatory-bands is that they often play bland and too clean. The guys definitely played solidly, but certainly not bland. The songs were catching, full of various music styles and sounded very original. The musicians were obviously having a lot of fun playing and managed very well to involve the crowd in it.

One moment NiCad played a firm rock song, the next a sensitive ballad. Effortless the band knew how to combine electronic-, blues- and jazz-influences. And when the bass and drums started a wonderfully funky intro, the singer fell in like a seasoned rapper. In their website the men suggest that if you really have to label their music, you can choose to call it electro-indie.

Not only the music was varied. Also the band members changed instruments every now and then. The guitarist (or was it the bassist) occasionally played on a futuristic instrument, that probably could best be described as a saxophone made of PVC-pipes, and according to the booklet in the CD, answers to the name ecomar.

The men also treated the public to a good version of the House of the rising sun from The animals. Giving in to the “more more more” demand of the crowd, they played Electioneering, a cover of Radiohead, as final extra.

Is it all praise then? Nothing is perfect, people say. It is not entirely unthinkable that some people may find the music of this formation a bit too much of what is good for them. Maybe these gentlemen could bring in a bit more simplicity. Also, a second voice wouldn’t sound bad in a couple more tracks, as now it is heard only very occasionally.

Translation by Fanny Winkelman
- 3voor12, Andrea Dijstra

It is pretty flattering to be quoted in an attached letter. ‘Not easy to digest, but one will not soon get enough of this’, I wrote about NiCad’s debut ‘Everyday I Grow’. Yes indeed. I have since then seen them perform life and this text really suits these five-some operating from the Hague. I actually have to straighten out one of my own prejudices, since if I would have read that they met each other at the conservatory, I would have put the band aside as uninteresting, without even having listened to the music. It would undoubtedly be fantastic musicians, but would know too much about how it should be done and thus would be too far away from any real emotion. With NiCad however this is not the case, for again ‘The Hill’ is full of stunningly unpredictable music, that moves me in any case. If I would have to describe them to anyone I would say: the dEUS from our country, although none of them are born in our country. Also on ‘The Hill’ NiCad goes in all directions. Lo-fi, Americana, Funk, Rap, samples and a lot of Avant-garde. Sometimes it seems to be easy-listening, but never for long. NiCad is and remains an obstinate band. My only criticism is that this album lasts only a short twenty-five minutes. “I want more, I want more!” In any case they are on my “list-to-see” at the upcoming Metropolis Festival.

Translation by Fanny Winkelman - Fileunder

19 februari 2006

Beaming with pride, the five gents of the band NiCad presented their first official CD to the public on Saturday February 18, and justly so. Besides giving a very good performance, the musicians succeeded in recording the many various tracks in high quality on their album Everyday I Grow.

Introduced with an arousing beat, the band members of NiCad joined in one by one. The location suited the band very well. The crowd became noiseless whenever a sensitive song was being played and became wildly enthusiastic whenever the musicians gave everything they had.

For having an animated conversation in ‘Haags’ (the dutch dialect spoken in the Hague), you would have come to the wrong place during this CD presentation. The public’s background was probably as diverse as that of the band members themselves. The gentlemen might live in The Hague and have all studied at the conservatory in The Hague, but they all originate from different countries. The name of the band is made up of the first characters of these countries.

A well-known complaint about conservatory-bands is that they often play bland and too clean. The guys definitely played solidly, but certainly not bland. The songs were catching, full of various music styles and sounded very original. The musicians were obviously having a lot of fun playing and managed very well to involve the crowd in it.

One moment NiCad played a firm rock song, the next a sensitive ballad. Effortless the band knew how to combine electronic-, blues- and jazz-influences. And when the bass and drums started a wonderfully funky intro, the singer fell in like a seasoned rapper. In their website the men suggest that if you really have to label their music, you can choose to call it electro-indie.

Not only the music was varied. Also the band members changed instruments every now and then. The guitarist (or was it the bassist) occasionally played on a futuristic instrument, that probably could best be described as a saxophone made of PVC-pipes, and according to the booklet in the CD, answers to the name ecomar.

The men also treated the public to a good version of the House of the rising sun from The animals. Giving in to the “more more more” demand of the crowd, they played Electioneering, a cover of Radiohead, as final extra.

Is it all praise then? Nothing is perfect, people say. It is not entirely unthinkable that some people may find the music of this formation a bit too much of what is good for them. Maybe these gentlemen could bring in a bit more simplicity. Also, a second voice wouldn’t sound bad in a couple more tracks, as now it is heard only very occasionally.

Translation by Fanny Winkelman
- 3voor12, Andrea Dijstra

INDIEROCK
NICAD
The Hill (DYING GIRAFFE)
http://www.nicad.org

‘Literally a world band from The Hague’, one could read here in a review of their debut released two years ago. Because the music of these conservatory graduates covers a broad range, is well put together and because the name of the band consists of the first characters of their native countries: Nippon (Japan), Israel, Chile, America and Deutschland (Germany).
The seven tracks on The Hill, put in an awesome cover with beautiful pictures, show the listener in which direction the band has developed. A bit less avant-garde and dance influenced, a bit more vigorous rock (Mars Volta light), nice vocal harmonies and acoustic pop. NiCad remains a quintet of elevated quality, which is never predictable, but with Fall Through, succeeds to be both obsessive as well as catchy.
At the same time, unexpectedly (and probably unintentionally), influences from The Pixies and Radiohead can be noticed.
Too bad this mini album lasts only 25 minutes.
Willem Jongeneelen.
OOR.

Translated by Fanny Winkelman
- het OOR

INDIEROCK
NICAD
The Hill (DYING GIRAFFE)
http://www.nicad.org

‘Literally a world band from The Hague’, one could read here in a review of their debut released two years ago. Because the music of these conservatory graduates covers a broad range, is well put together and because the name of the band consists of the first characters of their native countries: Nippon (Japan), Israel, Chile, America and Deutschland (Germany).
The seven tracks on The Hill, put in an awesome cover with beautiful pictures, show the listener in which direction the band has developed. A bit less avant-garde and dance influenced, a bit more vigorous rock (Mars Volta light), nice vocal harmonies and acoustic pop. NiCad remains a quintet of elevated quality, which is never predictable, but with Fall Through, succeeds to be both obsessive as well as catchy.
At the same time, unexpectedly (and probably unintentionally), influences from The Pixies and Radiohead can be noticed.
Too bad this mini album lasts only 25 minutes.
Willem Jongeneelen.
OOR.

Translated by Fanny Winkelman
- het OOR

Fair enough, the second NiCad album has long since been released, but 3voor12 had not yet discussed it, till now. A bit undeserved, but hereby we are making it up. The album counts seven gems, each and every one building up to a textual and musical climax.

The first track ‘Garments’ starts of electronically with spoken voice. For the first 10 seconds it looks like it will turn into a drum&bass track, but nothing is less true. The song unfolds into an exciting introduction to what the rest of the album is about to bring. After two minutes the music speeds up and the listener finds himself under the spell of NiCad.

‘Fall Through’ the second track on the album, is a bit more aggressive than the previous one. Cutting guitar riffs and short stops, keep this song interesting. With the third one ‘The Game’, it looses some of it’s tightness. Maybe something with a slower rhythm would have been better for the sake of variation.
A nice invention is the sound of writing on a blackboard at the end of the track.

The centre track ‘How it is’ – With Ingwe Maynte on violin – is textually the best. The phrase “This is how it is for me / But oh, I am changing constantly / Although, I approach you cautiously, I will / Want you to remember me” must be identifiable for most people.
The title track is the most accessible till now. With a friendly sounding acoustic guitar and an almost childish melody in the chorus, this song could easily be fit for the radio.

‘Debris’, track 6, sounds like a cover of the ‘Flaming Lips’, nothing wrong with that in itself, but NiCad is capable of more. And more we get, because the moment ‘For Fiction’ starts out, the build-up tension comes to a climax. The repetitive theme of the piano together with the drive of the drums all propel towards the finale: “So I’ll struggle to show some sort of sense of compassion / While searching for beauty”.

And talking about beauty, the gents from NiCad can be satisfied, because with this CD they absolutely created an example of beauty. Besides, the CD-booklet is also beautifully designed: the lyrics are handwritten and the band members Satoshi, Gilad, Roberto, Kyle en Jozef are all portrayed with their eyes closed.

Graded: 9

Listen to 'The Hill' on the Haagse YouBox (haagseyoubox.nl)

Tino van Leeuwen

Translated by Fanny Winkelman



- 3voor12

Fair enough, the second NiCad album has long since been released, but 3voor12 had not yet discussed it, till now. A bit undeserved, but hereby we are making it up. The album counts seven gems, each and every one building up to a textual and musical climax.

The first track ‘Garments’ starts of electronically with spoken voice. For the first 10 seconds it looks like it will turn into a drum&bass track, but nothing is less true. The song unfolds into an exciting introduction to what the rest of the album is about to bring. After two minutes the music speeds up and the listener finds himself under the spell of NiCad.

‘Fall Through’ the second track on the album, is a bit more aggressive than the previous one. Cutting guitar riffs and short stops, keep this song interesting. With the third one ‘The Game’, it looses some of it’s tightness. Maybe something with a slower rhythm would have been better for the sake of variation.
A nice invention is the sound of writing on a blackboard at the end of the track.

The centre track ‘How it is’ – With Ingwe Maynte on violin – is textually the best. The phrase “This is how it is for me / But oh, I am changing constantly / Although, I approach you cautiously, I will / Want you to remember me” must be identifiable for most people.
The title track is the most accessible till now. With a friendly sounding acoustic guitar and an almost childish melody in the chorus, this song could easily be fit for the radio.

‘Debris’, track 6, sounds like a cover of the ‘Flaming Lips’, nothing wrong with that in itself, but NiCad is capable of more. And more we get, because the moment ‘For Fiction’ starts out, the build-up tension comes to a climax. The repetitive theme of the piano together with the drive of the drums all propel towards the finale: “So I’ll struggle to show some sort of sense of compassion / While searching for beauty”.

And talking about beauty, the gents from NiCad can be satisfied, because with this CD they absolutely created an example of beauty. Besides, the CD-booklet is also beautifully designed: the lyrics are handwritten and the band members Satoshi, Gilad, Roberto, Kyle en Jozef are all portrayed with their eyes closed.

Graded: 9

Listen to 'The Hill' on the Haagse YouBox (haagseyoubox.nl)

Tino van Leeuwen

Translated by Fanny Winkelman



- 3voor12