Pourquoi me reveiller

Strong orchestral opening of the sixth Happy Avenue Evening by Pourquoi me Reveiller.

Pourquoi Me Reveiller is a playground of musical styles. One moment they are best compared to the rough version of the Waterboys, the next moment they produce perfect jazz rock and at another they sound like Shirley Bassey’s support band.

Singer/pianist/guitarist Muf is the Frank Black of the band, not only because of his strong presence, but also his appearance lends force to the overall impression. He is clearly the man in charge. More in the background, but musically very much present are guitarist Nix, viola da gamba player/singer Fallus, Inkie on bass guitar and drummer Henno.

For this occasion, pianist/singer Jessica and singer Nathalie were added to the band. Despite their talent their added value to the band is still limited; on the contrary they are more of a brake on the rest of the band when they are on stage. Only when these ladies are off stage Pourquoi me Reveiller shows its real passion and radiates pure fire. Then the line of just playing songs nicely is crossed and can Pourquoi me Reveiller display its musical talent full of testosterone.

Then you can hear that they have learned to play music in their eight years’ existence and where their true soul is, wow! If you want to watch/listen to Pourquoi yourself, go to Fabchannel (www.fabchannel.com/pourquoimereveiller. - 3voor12 VPRO

We can hardly call this Rotterdam band very productive. Lazy? Perhaps their name (Why wake up) is just aptly chosen.

However, the five-man band, which has existed since 1998, has plenty of ideas on their first album. The finely composed "Bloody hours of nasty torture" is elegantly minimal and immediately creates a warm atmosphere.

Next, "Divided by four" demonstrates that more energy is also possible and after that the album shows many other angles of the musical spectrum.

The gentlemen of PMR are masters at arranging and making original choices of the most adequate, usually unexpected instruments to be used. Among them strikingly many acoustic instruments and canned animal sounds.

From a melody perspective “Data” is very strong; rhythmically this goes for “Wap” and surprisingly folkloric is “Diabolic Rolling Mill”. The lo-fi character of some of the recordings is never a disturbing factor.

In all, a nice and balmy band with a host of great brain waves. They might just as well have been Belgians …
- Music Magazine OOR

And then you suddenly find yourself, a Rotterdam band, to be Holland’s Newest on VPRO’s 3to12 site. Well, not quite suddenly, it took ten years of practising in all quietude. There was simply not much reason or need to release an album, so the band says in an interview on this site.

Pourquoi me reveiller sounds like a mature French wine, although its style is a bit closer to home. With this I mean Belgium, especially referring to the early dEUS and Zita Swoon.

As the album progresses, the band gets its own face, however, and I hear acoustic guitars that play the same chords for such a long time that in a positive way a transcendental feeling arises (I feel like I’m floating over my chair!). The folksy sauce that is added (in some tracks the accordion) is a surprise and effortlessly puts them in the same category as the bands mentioned above.

They Took My Bed Outside has a wonderful lo-fi character and becomes better every time you listen to it. Allez, one more fine band from Indie-Rotterdam!
- Music Magazine Speaker

“Why wake up” is the literal translation of the band. What they do? Produce an album full of spherical acoustic sounds, so spherical that you think you are part of a live performance.

The guitars sound fragile and the sounds surrounding them are experimental. In the first two tracks the focus is on the instruments, in other songs the voices dominate.

Each track catches the listener by its special atmosphere, compelling him to listen on. Not only acoustically: All I want is suddenly surprisingly rhythmic electronically.

They took my bed outside has turned out to be a very good and original album full of surprises.
- Music Magazine LiveXS

Pourquoi Me Reveiller (literal translation: “Why wake up”) comes with an acoustic album filled with samples and recurring themes.

The band has been around since 1998 and has only recently finished their first album, and what an album it is. It has nine tracks recorded in the Spitsbergen Studio in Groningen. Although this is a private studio, there is nothing wrong with the production. Or is there? The cd is of fine quality and its atmosphere brings musicians and listener closer together.

The first song of the album is called 'Bloody Hours Of Nasty Torture', an acoustic reminiscent of Mogwai in which the repetitive sounds have an entrancing effect.

The second track', Divided By Four', puts your feet back on the ground again. Sung as if the singer can burst into tears any moment, this brings out the emotional side of the band just fine.

Sometimes the group engages in part-singing. They do so with conviction, as in ‘Data’, bringing out the fragility of the band.

Through the French-sounding ‘Diabolic Rolling Mill’ (featuring an accordion for enhancing the atmosphere) we arrive at the repetitive guitar of ‘Wap’.

The repertoire of the album is very varied; from subdued melancholy to raging guitar rock, combined with samples of animal sounds and the straightforward, fragile sound of this five-man band.

The final song ‘Mila’ seems to have been recorded outside. It gives the impression of being recorded at a party of Erik Vandenberge, in a farm courtyard. A worthy end full of atmosphere of a varied album.
- Musicfrom (Dutch music platform)

A couple of years ago, an interesting band with a French-sounding name was part of the Rotterdam rock scene. Just like their name, the band was different from what the Rotterdam audience was used to. With their theatrical pop music, Belgian style, Pourquoi me Reveiller, together with Kopna Kopna, was the intriguing odd one out. The freshness didn’t last long, because shortly after they announced their presence, they sank into oblivion again. Now their first record is a fact and suddenly they are nominated Dutch Newest of 3to12’s Double Check. Not that strange, actually.

Pourquoi me Reveiller originated in 1998, mainly because all the members of the band were all at home after their bands had fallen apart. Until that moment, the members of Pourquoi me Reveiller had been involved in all kinds of music, from grunge to ska and punk. For their new band they changed their course. We are talking about a period in which everything coming from Antwerp was by definition hot. Pourquoi me Reveiller decided in taking Captain Beefheart and Tom Waits as their examples and so a piano, accordion and viola da gamba became part of the instruments they used. The more varied repertoire also meant that people started looking at them differently. Nevertheless it took a long time before they came out with a full album.

The debut
So now there is the debut They took my bed outside and still there is the varied sound. The result calls forth reactions that are almost just as varied. The opening song, Bloody hours of Nasty Torture, can be characterised as the coming together of the best-known work of Yann Tiersen with dEUS' A Shocking Lack Thereof. All that in a fine, compelling combination. Just as nice as the marvellous, groovy Wap or the musical frame of All I Want. These songs are in stark contrast with the ‘back to basic’ songs like Diabolic Rolling Mill en Artificial Paradise.

Variation
This contrast does not make the album They took my Bed Outside an easy record and does not make Pourquoi me Reveiller an easy band to categorise. In some places the strong influence of the early Zita Swoon is noticeable. In other places there is the singer/songwriter with a tendency to repetitive postrock through a high dose of emotion. Fragile songs alternate with more bombastic work. These differences are not a problem, though, since they can always be linked to Belgian examples. And as long as Pourquoi me Reveiller retains their own identity, this is ok. Long live Dutch Newest!
- Webmagazine 8Weekly

Why wake up? Nice, though somewhat peculiar name for a band and hopefully not an adequate profile of the five band members, Muf, Nix, Fallus, Inkie and Henno.

In unity with the band name, you are not immediately caught by the short hairs by the nine numbers; the hypnotising sounds only slowly trickle into the brain.

However, the heavenly part-song and the trippy, loose and relaxed lulling songs soon drag the gentle listener along. Dreaming can begin and waking up will indeed probably be a necessary consequence, but should rather be avoided.

That the puberty of the band members was dominated by extreme hard music can be detected in some places, but it is clear that they have ended up in quieter water now, even though there is the occasional storm.
- Music Magazine FRET

As I already felt dreamy, the switch to Pourquoi me Reveiller was not a big one. They, too, produce subtle, intriguing music that is not always easy to categorize.

However, the band was not very lucky. The singer/guitarist that was absent was replaced by two ladies, who, by the way, played and sung perfectly. Furthermore, the sound mix was not ideal. The special instrument ‘viola da gamba’ (a kind of mini-cello) could not be heard at all. It was okay right before the stage, but the large speakers were far too dominant.

This must also have been disappointing for the band, since the characteristic acoustic guitar sound did not come our properly at all.

Maybe this competition between bands is not the best place for a band like this. Listening to their music –reminiscent of typical Belgian Pop – requires the attention that is difficult to give in a setting like this.

Just like China Blue, the professional band saved the day with its radiation of fun. A song almost completely sung a capella was simply impressive and the audience fell quiet. Moments like these make you want to hear more of Pourquoi me Reveiller, in the original composition and in a different environment.
- 3voor12 VPRO