Microwolf: Claptrap / West of

Dutch musician Benjamin van Vliet has released two albums at once: a live one, Claptrap, and West of, a collection of odds and ends. He is been a vital member of the lo-fi underground scene, a musician's musician who mixes folk with Krautrock and dream pop. He doesn't shy away from getting atonal at times, throwing a spanner in the mix to catch the listener off guard.

Claptrap

Claptrap was recorded during the mini-tour to promote his Changelings: five solo acoustic songs in the church of Oostum on November 19, 2023, and three with indie rock band Combo Qazam on 10 November 20, 2023 at the U? Festival in Utrecht.

During the latter performance Arno Breuer (drums), Stefan Breuer (guitar, backing vocals, ride), Gino Miniutti (guitar) and Ab al-Tamimi (bass) played softly, creating a canvas for Van Vliet to add choice notes and vocals to create musical equivalent of a watercolor painting. They only let rip, well sort of, during the intro of Theme From Changelings.

The solo tracks - just him and an acoustic instrument - have a quiet intensity. The intimacy of the venue makes those songs sound like he performing in your living room. His cover of the Four Tops classic Reach Out (I'll Be There) has none of the upbeat mode, but it is turned into a mournful plea.

Tracks:

1. Burning Crops (live w/ Combo Qazam)
2. Life That Wills (live)
3. It Will Fall (live)
4. Mara (live w/ Combo Qazam)
5. Papavers (live)
6. Reach Out (I'll Be There) (live)
7. Theme From Changelings (live w/ Combo Qazam)
8. Ballad Of A Changeling (live)

West of

For West of Van Vliet went through his stack of home recordings, giving the listener a look into his creative process. Some of them are mere ideas that he did not explore further at the time, like the three Unfinished Sketch parts, but tracks like Monnickendam sound almost finished.

The real treat is The Lifting, his first try on doing multitracks on his computer in 2008. Given the limitations of technology and not having a clue where to the put microphones, it is a dreamy excursion through a landscape of his own invention, with his wordless vocalizing as an added bonus.

Tracks:

1. Fickle Mountain
2. Buddy
3. Monnickendam
4. Unfinished Sketch #1
5. Heed, Taken
6. Rood Noot
7. Unfinished Sketch #2
8. Our Despised Decay
9. The Lifting
10. Unfinished Sketch #3
11. Unfinished Sketch #4
12. Hitter
13. Windows, Ill
14. Sandro

Claptrap and West of are self-released albums, available from his website. A very limited edition cassette - 20 copies - contains both albums.

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HCTF review of Changelings.