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Friday, March 11, 2011

The Nits - In the Dutch Mountains

The Nits are a Dutch pop group, founded in 1974. Their musical style has varied considerably over the years, as has their line-up with the core of Henk Hofstede (the group's lead singer and lyricist), Rob Kloet, drummer, Robert Jan Stips (Supersister, Gruppo Sportivo, Golden Earring), keyboards.

Their biggest hit in the Netherlands was "Nescio" (1983), a tribute to the Dutch author Jan Hendrik Frederik Grönloh. The major hit that brought the band to the attention of an international audience was "In the Dutch Mountains" (1987).

The group travel widely, and Hofstede's lyrics often concern his impressions of places he has been. The official Nits website includes a map showing the locations that the group has written songs about. Another common theme (to some extent overlapping the first) is songs inspired by works of art, literature and museum exhibits (e.g. "A Touch of Henry Moore", "Soap Bubble Box", "Nescio"). Many other songs are impressionistic, and many are concerned with the passing of time.

Some albums include clusters of songs on a particular subject, for example In the Dutch Mountains contains several songs about Hofstede's childhood memories, Giant Normal Dwarf includes several fantasy songs set in a folkloric version of the Netherlands called Fountainland, and the later albums, particularly Les Nuits, include numerous songs on the subject of human mortality.

Certainly few can match their sheer creative stamina: how many other bands can claim to be still reinventing themselves after 30 years and nearly 20 albums?
In their 30-odd years of existence, the Nits have notched several chart successes in their homeland and been showered with awards. Around the time of In the Dutch Mountains, it seemed international stardom was theirs for the taking. Yet only two of their albums have been released in the U.S. and U.K., and though they can boast a small but loyal following in Canada they remain one of rock's best-kept secrets.

"In the Dutch Mountains" is the most important and most famous of all Nits songs. The beautiful video with the rowing boat probably also helped this song. A cheer of recognition usually goes through the audience whenever they start playing it. The song was usually preceded by Henk’s explanation of the lyrics. They are about Henk’s childhood memories of the time he thought that outside of the city there had to be mountains in Holland. The only Dutch mountains are the dikes and the only valleys the streets between the rows of houses.

It starts with the famous heavy synths with some airy sounds over it. Rob's drumming and Joke's bass were very strong. The result was a very 'thick' and majestic sounding song. Henk's vocals are very strong in this song, as they would always be. At a lot of concerts this song is played twice, the second time as an acoustic version.

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