HOLLANDS

"Norpoth plays the sort of electric guitar that drives a stunted picker like myself into fits: where I would hammer and scratch and break strings and bloody knuckles he barely appears to touch the strings and yet his amp bristles and soothes, alternately, with a country-western/classic rock tone and melodic attitude that, live, is ceaselessly engaging."

"During the gorgeous “Goldie Hawn,” Norpoth replaces a broken string on his electric guitar while singing harmony. If Boulder were larger - or more packed - it might not have worked out, but the intimacy of the place allowed him to sing from his knees, several feet below his microphone. “George Washington/ You better wash your hands/ They’re stained/ And can you taste your wooden teeth?” I never know how goofy and how serious this band is. Probably both all the time. “You have a head/ But I can bounce it like a ball.” - http://www.stereosubversion.com/reviews/concert-reviews/butane-variations-2-11-16-2007/#more-688

HERE COMES HOLLANDS!
We have been head over heels for the debut EP Faces from Hollands! Consisting of Jannina Barefield and John-Paul Norpoth (of such acts as Akron/Family, Your 33 Black Angels), the duo produces an incredible sound that flirts with notions of southern grit and danceable riffs, while maintaining a firm grasp on fuzzy rock and roll (think Aha Shake Heartbreak-era Kings of Leon). Try your best to get songs like “Strong Arm” and “Over and Out” out of your head, and you will be left with an infectious melody that isn’t going anywhere!

The Cropper - A BLOG FEATURING INDIE MUSIC, BAND INTERVIEWS, MUSIC NEWS, AND WINDSOR ONTARIO PICKLED PORK. - http://teamclermont.com/thecropper/2072/here-comes-hollands

Didn't know a thing about the band Hollands until I unexpectedly received a review copy of their debut EP Faces recently. Described as a New York duo comprised of guitarist/vocalist John-Paul Norpoth and violinist Jannina Barefield in the promo, the group appearing on the five-song disc appears to be a slightly different unit since Barefield's name appears nowhere in the credits. Instead, the second name on the creds is guitarist/violinist/electric bassist Earl Maneein, known for his more recent work in the heavy metal violin band Resolution 15, so perhaps Barefield replaced Maneein in Hollands after the band's debut was in the can.

Whatever the case, the Hollands repped on Faces has a winning alt-rock sound. Singer/songwriter Norpoth's has some of the alt-ish wavery flatness that I associate with bands like, oh, Dinosaur Jr. though it's more on key. I could do without the Strokes-styled vocal mushing that appears on some of the tracks, but that's my particular audio bias.

In any event, the group is at its best flat out rockin', which they efficiently do on three of the disc's five cuts. Opener "Strong Arm" features some nicely muted feedback, while "Over and Out" starts with guitar noise that brings to mind some of Lou Reed's more stately solo tracks before zipping into an organ backed (courtesy Thomas Shaw) rock groove. The one dominantly acoustic number (by Maneein, interestingly enough) demonstrates that Norpoth could go the Jeff Buckley route if he so chose; it's sweetly moody with an appealing Latinate tinge.

The only duff track proves the disc's final cut: a slow and meandering piece of ponderousness entitled "High Class," which works overtime to convinced you how serious it is with all kinds of ambient computery background sounds. Okay, everybody's allowed one dud. Me, I'd rather hear Norpoth repeatedly rhapsodizing about how much he loves the freeway on "Coughing Boy," sounding like a more world-weary Jonathan Richman but still going a hundred miles an hour. After visiting the band's MySpace page and hearing how the current iteration sounds, I'm definitely curious as to how they'd fill a full-length CD.

-Author: Bill Sherman — Published: Jul 20, 2009 at 10:06 am - http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-hollands-faces-ep/

Hollands is a duo from NYC consisting of multi-instrumentalist John-Paul Norpoth and violinist Jannina Barefield whose EP Faces has been bubbling under since Fall 2008. They have played on Akron/Family albums, albeit on two different ones and never as a twosome. Well orchestrated and crytstal clear recorded the five tracks on the EP features upbeat rock (Strong Arm). dreamy folk (Anomie) and the delicate (Coughing Boy).

Recorded March 2005 - August 2007 at various studios and homes the question that comes to mind the most is: why only five songs?

Faces is a self-released album. Buy it from the band's website.

- Here Comes the Flood Hans Werksman Posted on Sunday, June 28, 2009 11:26 AM - http://blogger.xs4all.nl/werksman/archive/2009/06/28/493866.aspx

This duo from New York City is well under the radar but Jannina Barefield plays the violin while John-Paul Norpoth handles just about everything else including lead vocals. The group covers a lot of bases on just five tracks, which swoops them in and out of different genres with a solid focus on creating a bigger sound then just two people. Faces mostly stays in the rock category but has its folk moments and succeeds as an intro to the band. The tracks definitely accomplish their goal because I would like to hear what Hollands could do on another 20 minutes!

-The Fire Note WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2009 - http://thefirenote.blogspot.com/2009/06/hollands-faces-ep.html

REBEL & BASS

“Whether people know it or not most modern music goes back to Bach,” says John-Paul Norpoth (singer, guitar) of the Hollands.The bassist derives inspiration from country music, classical composers, and Kanye’s beats while creating music that remains undeniably rock ‘n’ roll. Norpoth founded the Hollands with the intent of creating a musical haven for his musician friends. “Sometimes we’re an ensemble comprised of nine musicians, other times it’s just a duo,” reveals Norpoth. With the grunge-whine of Chris Cornell and instrumentals that employ everything from violins to a drum machine, Norpoth creates music that encompasses the sounds of the last five decades. Lyrically, Norpoth is spontaneous. “He makes them up while in front of the mic,” tells Jannina Barefield (violin, synthesizer). The unpredictably of the lyrics become provocative poetry when sung over instrumentals that have been laid out with such compositional intent. With an EP set for release November 21 and a plethora of New York-based concerts to follow, there is no end in sight. Assures Norpoth, “There is no plan B. I can’t conceive of doing anything else but playing rock music. It’s a curse.”

http://www.hollandsss.com/

- https://www.relix.com/Features/Bands_On_the_Verge/HOLLANDS,_BROOKLYN,_NY_200811133372.html

Hollands are a little-known duo out of New York City. Jannina Barefield plays the violin while John-Paul Norpoth does literally everything else. Their debut EP, Faces, is all over the place, and that’s a big reason why it’s so charming. Drawing parallels to other bands is difficult because of the musical diversity, but at different times during the album I hear similarities to Kings of Leon, The National, Wilco, and Frightened Rabbit. Sweet Jesus, what’s not to like?

The 5-track EP kicks off with one its faster songs, ‘Strong Arm’. The simple driving drumbeat and decent guitar riff are nice, but the funky, syncopated bass line carries the song from good to great. There’s nothing extraordinary or unusual about the track, but it’s a pleasantly straightforward rock song.

Norpoth and Barefield change gears on ‘Anomie’, leaning away from rock more into a folk sound. This is the first time we hear traces of Wilco and The National, and it works out for them. It’s not an very interesting track, but it’s perfect to fall asleep to. Or, for that matter, to wake up to. At just under 5 minutes, it drags a bit, but it makes outstanding, laid-back background music while you’re doing something else.

Track 3, ‘Over And Out’, is right back to rock, this time tossing in some southern influence. Once again, this song is easy to listen to and easy to fall in love with. It doesn’t attempt to be anything more than itself; I don’t even know what he’s singing about, but I know that I love it every time I hear the chorus of “Hell no! Hell no! Hell no!” I love the entire EP, but ‘Over And Out’ is probably my favorite track off Faces.

‘Coughing Boy’ slips in between the two extremes of rock and folk. With a soft but well-paced drumline, Norpoth creates yet another laid-back jam. ‘High Class’ is a subduesd shoegazing track that is a lot like ‘Anomie’: Not the most interesting, but pleasant enough to put on as background music.

I’m running out of different ways to say this, so the bottom line is: Hollands is great. Faces is great. I hope this band gets signed and gets heard. They deserve it and their music deserves it.

Check out more about them at their myspace.

If you follow the link above, you’ll see that none of their songs have over 1,000 plays. If at all possible, shell out the 5 bucks and buy the EP. It’s more than worth it, and you’ll be supporting a band that deserves to make it big.

aw music - 15 June 2009, Spencer @ 6:04 pm - http://awmusic.ca/2009/06/15/hollands-faces-review/

In the long line of emerging bands from Brooklyn this year, Hollands are no stranger to the crowd. Made up of multi-instrumentalist John Paul Norporth and violinist c, the duo blends folk music with classic rock riffs like you’ve never heard before. Fresh from releasing their second EP titled Mother (Self Released) the group is on the up and up.

Kicking off the record is “Air Conditioned Heart,” that sets the tone for the whole record with spacey violin sounds that echo throughout and haunting double vocals. “Cheerio!” takes the EP down a notch and is written in a style similar to that of Jon Brion. With humming guitars, sad but catchy lyrics, and just en0ugh harmony to suit your needs, this is the standout track on the record.“Just Like Them” brings the album back up to speed and Northporth’s voice is soulful with just enough scratchiness to it, as “Lungs of Steel” and “Jackie” provide an alt-country tone to the record with twangy guitar strums and blissful vocals. Closing the record is the dreary yet unforgettable “Dirty Rum,” which is simple yet beautiful with the main focus on Norporth’s vocal and guitar. What a perfect and peaceful way to close this near brilliant EP. - http://www.greenshoelace.com/gsl-music-box/2009/11/03/hollands-releases-mother-ep/

Washington Heights freak-poppers Hollands are a cheery mix of folk, punk, and free-noise. Both frontman John-Paul Norpoth and violinist Jannina Barefield have laid down some sessions on various Akron/Family records (and certainly share their vibrant spirit and dizzy textures), but Hollands' sound is more mellow--think Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips, with folk that's torn between '90s "anti-" and '00s "freak-." Their second self-released EP this year, Mother, leads with the joyous burst "Air Conditioned Heart." The track is made from a little bit of Grizzy Bear's "While You Wait For The Others," and a whole lot of breezy melodies and whimsical cuteness. In the song's lyrics, Norpoth treats Kansas as a great, mythical escape from the bustle of New York--and certainly somewhere better than where he was at for much of the Mother sessions: spending a summer stuck in his childhood town of Stony Brook, New York. - http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2009/11/yes_in_my_backy_32.php

New York City's Hollands opened the show and played what they call Dutch pop. It was a richly dynamic set a la Wilco, but with more pizzazz. It's a delicate balance for drummers; the good ones often go unnoticed and the ones that aren't tend to trample. Not since David King - that maniac that drums for the Bad Plus - have I been so enamored of a drummer. This guy was so tight and understated one moment and thunderocious the next, he drove the band into even further dynamic intrigue and excitement. - http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/music/blog/2009/09/CONCERT-REVIEW-Dean-and-Britta-at-Lovin-Cup