The music sounds like a crossover between King’s X and Sjako!. The songs and the lyrics remind you of Richard Thompson and Joe Jackson from the Joe Jackson Band period. And with a tiny bit of Tool and a slice of Zappa you could say that the sound of Absence is a rather unique one.
The pounding heart of the band is drummer Thomas Calis (... maybe the best drummer of Holland – Music Maker). Together with the superb melodic fretless bass work by Maarten Dekkers, he lays down a musical fundament best described as pure functional and tasteful craftsmanship. With the grooving lower string work played by Dekkers always being the centre of the band.
On top of this wonderful rhythmic layer is the solid voice of Piet van Tienen crying out his cynical lyrics and playing his (modest) role as a guitar god. And above all that you hear some threesome harmony vocals, which completes the picture of this rock trio from Nijmegen.
‘Absence shows you that a good concert doesn’t have to be played by the famous bands we all know. These guys love the job and are great, well rehearsed musicians. Absence has got their own unique sound without the pyrotechnics and the wannabe attitude’. VPRO - 3VOOR12
Recorded November 1 2008 at Café Allicht in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Loading more stuff…