Pokkeherrie

Last updated
Pokkeherrie
Pokkeherrie.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 1985
RecordedEmma's Koeienverhuurbedrijf, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Genre
Length53:07
Label Pokabilly
Producer Dolf Planteydt
The Ex chronology
Blueprints for a Blackout
(1984)
Pokkeherrie
(1985)
1936, The Spanish Revolution
(1985)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Tom Hull B+ [3]

Pokkeherrie (Dutch for "terrible noise") is a 1985 album by The Ex, originally released on vinyl only on the Pokabilly label. The original release included an eleven-page booklet containing lyrics & artwork and a double sided poster. It was reissued on compact disc in 1995 on Ex Records. The album comprises a collection of songs the group had performed on an anti-military tour. [4] The title of the album is a Dutch word that means something like "so much noise" or "awful noise". It is the first of the Ex's albums to feature Katrin on drums, cementing the band's core lineup that would last for nearly two decades. [5]

Contents

Background

After releasing a record in support of Britain's coalminers' strike, The Ex wrote a collection of new songs for an anti-military tour that would form the basis for Pokkeherrie. [6] Their drummer Sabien had just left the band to move to France and was replaced by German-born Katerina, previously of the Stuttgart trio 3Musketiere. The group recorded nine songs in the newly built Koeienverhuur Studio in the basement of a newly squatted building in Amsterdam where The Ex also rehearsed and gigged at the volunteer-run Emma venue. The album was released in September 1985 and, as with previous releases, contained a poster and a big booklet full of lyrics accompanied by drawings, this time portraits of visual artists whom the band admired. [7] The album also features text by poet Nico van Apeldoorn. [5]

The Ex supported Pokkeherrie's release with tours of Britain, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. The album was reissued on CD, along with the rest of the band's back catalog, in 1993 on their own Ex Records. The Ex eventually added it to their roster of online titles streamable and downloadable through Bandcamp.

Reception

John Dougan's short review of the album for Allmusic reads: "Primal leftist politics meet primal mega-loud guitar. Stunning." [1] An unattributed review on the band's official website calls the album "a masterful killer weapon of raw power that rattles up the spine into numbed pink brain cells and fills the vacuum with social issue." [8]

Track listing

  1. "Nurse!" - 6:09
  2. "Soviet Threat" - 7:08
  3. "Mmm Crisis" - 3:29
  4. "1,000,000 Ashtrays" - 9:15
  5. "Pokk" - 0:15
  6. "White Liberals" - 5:42
  7. "Everything We Never Wanted" 4:28
  8. "Friendly Neighbours" - 4:20
  9. "Hit the Headlines" - 5:47
  10. "Rumours of Music (The Original Soundcrack)" - 6:29

Credits

Notes

Related Research Articles

<i>Escape from Noise</i> 1987 studio album by Negativland

Escape from Noise is the fourth studio album by Negativland. It marked the band's first release on an established independent record label, SST Records. On the album, they continued to develop their experimental style, as well as incorporating elements of pop music with shorter tracks and more conventional melodies. "Christianity Is Stupid", a track featuring samples from the propaganda movie If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do?, proved to be an enduring signature song: the band and the release gained widespread attention a year later due to an SST press release falsely implying that murderer David Brom had listened to the song before killing his family members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ex (band)</span> Dutch band

The Ex is an underground band from the Netherlands, started in 1979 at the height of the original punk explosion as a Dutch punk band. The Ex originated from the squatting movement in Amsterdam and Wormer, and was inspired by bands like The Fall and The Mekons. Although initially known as an anarcho-punk band associated with the Dutch post-punk ultra scene, over the decades The Ex's sound has gradually developed into its current form of highly intricate, experimental punk/post-punk/no wave-inspired work. This sound includes a combination of diverse genres and styles, such as noise, folk, world music, free jazz, and crossovers between these genres. Other examples of branching out stylistically include the improvised double album Instant and a release under the moniker Ex Orkest, a 20 piece big band assembled for performances at Holland Festival. "One reason we are hard to describe is that we never had an education at music school, and in that sense we are not influenced by any traditional playing," explained Katherina Bornefeld, drummer for The Ex since 1984. The Ex's lyrics consist of straightforward statements about politics and abuses in society. The band enjoys international acclaim for this socially critical message, as well as for the energetic, rhythmic, atonal guitar playing, and for the furious vocals of singer G.W. Sok, who was replaced in recent years by Arnold de Boer of the duo Zea. The Ex have released over 20 full-length albums.

<i>In the Fishtank 5</i> 1999 EP by Tortoise and The Ex

In the Fishtank 5 is a 1999 EP by Tortoise with The Ex as part of the In the Fishtank project.

<i>Joggers and Smoggers</i> 1989 studio album by The Ex

Joggers and Smoggers is a double album by punk artists The Ex, released in 1989 as a double vinyl record album, and issued as a double CD in 1992. It is the first of the Ex's albums to feature extensive use of improvisation and instruments outside of the standard guitar/bass/drums arrangement of punk rock, as well as great numbers of international guest musicians, most notably New York's Sonic Youth, Glasgow's Dog Faced Hermans, Amsterdam's Instant Composers Pool, as well as numerous folk musicians from a variety of European and Middle Eastern traditions. The album marked a turning point in The Ex's artistry, foreshadowing many collaborations and delvings into avant-garde, experimental, improvisational, folk and world music that the band would mix with their abrasive trademark post-punk sound in the 20 years to come.

<i>Turn</i> (The Ex album) 2004 studio album by The Ex

Turn is a double album by Dutch anarchist post-punk band The Ex. After 20 years of working with Luc, their former bass guitarist, Turn is the only Ex album to feature double bass player Rosemarie giving the band a sound akin their prior work with cellist Tom Cora. In tandem with The Ex's drummer Katrin, Rosemarie also contributed significant female vocal harmonies to the album.

<i>Disturbing Domestic Peace</i> 1980 studio album by The Ex

Disturbing Domestic Peace was the debut album from Dutch anarchist band The Ex.

<i>And the Weathermen Shrug Their Shoulders</i> 1993 studio album by The Ex and Tom Cora

And the Weathermen Shrug Their Shoulders is the second of two albums by Dutch punk band The Ex in collaboration with avant-garde cellist Tom Cora. Cora was acknowledged in the credits of earlier album Joggers and Smoggers but didn't actually appear on an Ex album until a recording session in 1990 which led to Scrabbling at the Lock as well as And the Weathermen Shrug Their Shoulders.

<i>Dizzy Spells</i> (album) 2001 studio album by The Ex

Dizzy Spells is an album by Dutch post-punk band The Ex. It is the band's 11th studio album and 18th overall, and was produced by Steve Albini who had also produced its predecessor. Dizzy Spells was also The Ex's final studio album to feature bass guitarist Luc who would end up leaving the band after being a member for 20 years.

<i>Tumult</i> (album) 1983 studio album by The Ex

Tumult is the third album by Dutch anarchist punk rock band The Ex, originally released in 1983. It was produced by Jon Langford of The Mekons and Dolf Planteijdt.

<i>History Is Whats Happening</i> 1982 studio album by The Ex

History is What's Happening is the second album of songs by Dutch punk rock band The Ex, originally released in 1982.

<i>Starters Alternators</i> 1998 studio album by The Ex

Starters Alternators is an album by Dutch post-punk band The Ex. It is the band's 10th studio album and was produced by Steve Albini for a 1998 CD released jointly by Touch and Go Records and the band’s own label, Ex Records.

<i>Scrabbling at the Lock</i> 1991 studio album by The Ex and Tom Cora

Scrabbling at the Lock is the first of two albums by Dutch punk band The Ex in collaboration with avant-garde cellist Tom Cora. It is also the first of The Ex's studio albums to feature the work of then Dog Faced Hermans guitarist Andy Moor, who has remained in the band ever since.

<i>Mudbird Shivers</i> 1995 studio album by The Ex

Mudbird Shivers is an album by Dutch punk/experimental band The Ex. The album prominently features vocals by guest musician Han Buhrs, who also plays a number of different instruments on the recording. It was released the same year as The Ex's entirely instrumental improv album Instant.

<i>Aural Guerrilla</i> 1988 studio album by The Ex

Aural Guerrilla is the 1988 studio album by Dutch anarchist post-punk band The Ex, co-released by American indie label Homestead Records.

<i>Too Many Cowboys</i> 1987 live album by The Ex

Too Many Cowboys is the second double-album Dutch anarchist punk band The Ex. Released in 1987, it mixes live and studio recordings and marks the band's beginning of a collaboration with British anarchist group Chumbawamba.

<i>Instant</i> (album) 1995 studio album by The Ex Guests

Instant is a double compact disc by the Dutch experimental post-punk band The Ex. The band recorded the album in conjunction with many guest musicians, notably members of Holland's Instant Composers Pool (ICP) for whom the album is partially named, the other part being that the Dutch term for "free improvisation" literally translates to "instant composition."

<i>Catch My Shoe</i> 2011 studio album by The Ex

Catch My Shoe is an album by Dutch anarchist band The Ex. It is the band's first record after the departure of their original vocalist G.W. Sok and features Arnold de Boer, from the band Zea, on vocals, guitar and keyboard. It is also the band's first album recorded without a bass player, and has The Ex's two other guitarists trading off duties on lower pitched six-string baritone guitars. Two songs contain overdubbed brass lines recorded by Sicilian jazz trumpeter Roy Paci.

<i>Blueprints for a Blackout</i> 1984 studio album by The Ex

Blueprints for a Blackout is the fourth album by Dutch post-punk band The Ex, originally released in 1984. It was the first of The Ex's albums to feature Luc playing bass guitar and he would remain as the band's bass player for 20 years. The album also featured many guest musicians, a notable trend in The Ex's discography that would provide musical elements unique to each of their albums.

<i>6</i> (The Ex album) 1991 box set by The Ex

6 is a collection of six singles by Dutch musical group The Ex. The singles were available in record shops and also through a subscription with a new one being issued every two months throughout 1991. Each of the singles explored different facets of The Ex's musical relationships and interests, featuring collaborations with an array of musicians and other artists. The 6 singles were not released on The Ex's CD collection, Singles. Period. The Vinyl Years 1980–1990 as they comprised an album to be collected and stored in a single box. The band announced plans to reissue the collection on CD in 2010, but have yet to do so.

<i>1936, The Spanish Revolution</i> 1986 EP by The Ex

1936, The Spanish Revolution is an album of songs and archival photographs related to the Spanish Civil War, recorded and assembled by Dutch anarchist punk band The Ex. The band released it in 1986, the 50th anniversary of the Spanish Revolution, on their own label as a square 7" (17.5 cm) soft-cover book with two 45 rpm records. A 5" (12.5 cm) hardcover edition was republished by AK press in 1997, replacing the records with a pair of 3" CDs.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pokkeherrie - The Ex - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  2. Allmusic review
  3. "Tom Hull: Grade List: The Ex".
  4. "Ex", Trouser Press
  5. 1 2 Hofman, Edwin (March 26, 2020). "The Ex - Pokkeherrie | Alternative". Written in Music. Pockabilly Records. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  6. Goldman, Marlene; Wolk, Douglas. "TrouserPress.com :: Ex". www.trouserpress.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  7. Sok, G.W. (April 18, 2020). Anyway: 45 Records in 45 Days. Vol. 16.
  8. "POKKEHERRIE by The Ex". exmailorder.nl.