Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
It’s not too often that a slice of Dutch pop lands on the Music-News doorstep. And when it does, and is of the quality of Racoon’s debut, Another Day, we at nerve centre have no choice but to tell all. Racoon, to capture their overall sound, is melodic, acoustic folk rock pop, cheerful in its execution, and likely to put a spring in the heaviest of steps. The opening track, a single release in Holland, begins with rhythmic whistling, which could be a disaster but they pull it off as a decent song emerges.
Bart van der Weide’s tender vocals hit the heart, and no more so than on Love You More, a second single from the album. At times you feel an American soft rock influence as the overriding sound, but the flavour of European folk is never too far away. Couple of Guys, I suspect a live favourite, has an early REM feel, and Hanging With The Clowns too captures a Michael Stipe delivery over jangly guitars, and crisp rhythm section. They’ve yet to venture to these shores but lets hope 2006 changes that. - Music-News.com 17-12-2005
Discography
“Till Monkeys Fly” - album - Sony (2000)
“Here We Go, Stereo” - album - Sony (2001)
"Another Day" - album - PIAS (2005)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Beauty is not something you make, you have to catch it and patiently let it blossom. Racoon knows this all too well: writing good songs takes time. Sometimes it even takes years. Years of thinking and considering, of listening and arguing, of writing and rewriting. Realizing that something is right cannot be expressed in a mere matter of time. It’s a glance. A sound. It’s the sun that warms the back of your head. A newly born baby that smiles at you for the first time. It’s a nice and cold beer on the first hot summer day. This record. This already gold record: “Another Day”.
With over 40.000 records sold, the guys in Racoon are glad they took their time. And so is their audience. The single ‘Love You More’ has been welcomed with open arms: it maintained a top five position in the charts for weeks and music channels play it around the clock. Concerts are sold out in no time and in September 2005 all of this makes for some delicious icing on the cake when Another Day goes gold!
Pop Record
Racoon has taken full advantage of the possibility to work in all liberty on their third album. The creative process combined with the recording of the album took well over two years time and everything happened in close collaboration with producer Michel Schoots, who has been a Racoon fan from day one. “Another day” turns out to be a pure pop record and the songs have a strong live feel to them. Racoon sounds honest, straightforward and unaffected. Lyrically mature, ripened and often melancholic, but nevertheless hopeful and positive. A grown Racoon has delivered a 13 track album which will effortlessly become a good friend. Interesting fact: following the success of “Another Day”, the band’s two previous albums, “Till Monkeys Fly” and “Here We Go, Stereo” have both been re-released.
It’s already been five years since Racoon released their debut album “Till Monkeys Fly". It didn’t take long before their recognizable sound made them a point of reference amongst bands and a household name in Dutch pop music. ‘Till Monkeys Fly” spawned the singles and radio hits “Blue Days” and "Feel Like Flying". "Feel Like Flying" particularly is a song that sticks around and in 2004 it's even the runner-up in the Dutch Pop Music Top 100 of All Times, composed by 3FM. The single “Eric’s Bar” is released in 2001 and it precedes Racoon’s sophmore album “Here We Go, Stereo”.
Self confidence
Two and a half years ago Racoon’s record label at the time decided to let the band go during a big clean-up in the Dutch music industry. The fans, however, did not drop Racoon. On the contrary: their shows got more and more packed. The band themselves have also never let it get to them. They never lost faith in their own abilities, so disbanding Racoon was never an option. Even without a record deal a band can be good, have fans and 2 great albums in their back catalogue.
In early 2004 Racoon signs a new deal with the large independent [PIAS] and they embark on a new adventure. And an adventure it is! In March 2005 "Another Day" hits the stores and sales are going great since the release. The older albums too find their way to the listener with renewed vitality, resulting in a re-release for both. In the meantime, every single Racoon show is selling out: "013" Tilburg, "Patronaat" Haarlem, "Paard van Troje" Den Haag, "Hedon" Zwolle and the list keeps getting longer...
Time for Racoon to embark on a musical journey away from home and convince the world that Holland does have more to offer than windmills and cheese.
Racoon, every day we Love You More!
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