Modest Midget is a multinational band based in The Netherlands. They have their roots in Israel, Argentina, Latvia, Poland, Portugal and naturally The Netherlands. The four musicians, Artis Orubs (drums), Tristan Hupe (keyboards and vocals), Lonny Ziblat (guitar and vocals) and Richard Zoer (bass guitar and vocals) have different backgrounds and musical roots. One accompanied the late, most popular Dutch artist and tear jerker André Hazes, two of them have played with jazz-youngster Wouter Hamel and one has toured with Dutch symphonic rock band Kayak. After listening to the first effort of Modest Midget, I have to admit that it’s almost impossible to describe their rich mixtures of musical styles. The band’s musical spectrum includes pop music, punk rock, jazz, but also modern classical music. I heard influences from artists and bands like The Beatles, The Police, J.S. Bach, Frank Zappa and many more. If you want to listen to progressive rock music or want to dance or bang your head on fabulous metal riffs, then this album is certainly a wrong choice! Is it a bad album then? No, not at all, I even liked it, because in every song there’s something interesting with many musical ideas. The lyrics are also well-conceived in both sad and happy tunes with humorous phrases. In my opinion, the best songs are the rather Beatles- like Troubles in Heaven, the instrumental Coffee From Yesterday, the acoustic Home Seek in the style of Crowded House, the sixties tune Here I Go (Hollies meet Van Halen!) and The Last Straw. However, I have to warn you again: don’t expect progressive rock, because the music of The Great Prophecy Of A Great Man of Modest Midget, is something completely different and worth wile to try. **+ Cor Smeets (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
