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Tracklisting
A. Maybe I Was The Pilot Reviews‘‘Now past their thirtieth year of activism, only the Fall comes close, conceptually, to the racket stirred up by The Ex... They are responsible, even if many wont cop to it, for any sort of Turkish or Roma influence (and cowbell) in this side of music, and the bands globetrotting activities include the awareness brought to outfits like Konono No. 1... Longtime vocalist G.W. Sok has exited... He's replaced by Arnold de Boer, whose voice provides some measure of relaxation against the shrill klaxon of Sox' lyrical enunciation. For a band with so many edged surfaces in their sound, de Boer's presence doesn't necessarily soften them up so much as it allows an easier connection with the audience. Their frenetic nature is of course still intact, and they continue to serve as a prime example of what you can do when you love music, and discover that free will and compassionate action on the world around you don't have to be mutually exclusive. Look for a new album this fall. ’’ Doug Mosurock - Still Single. ‘‘The Ex isn't the first band to switch-out its lead singer a few decades into its career. But the Dutch punk group's decision to carry on after the departure of founding front man G.W. Sok does place it in some divisive company. For instance, Queen and Paul Rodgers. Also, the Doors of the 21st Century. In other words, long-time fans have a right to approach "Maybe I Was the Pilot", new guitarist/vocalist Arnold de Boer's first recorded work as a member of The Ex, with a bit of trepidation. Sok had been singing with The Ex for 29 years. People were born and lived and died during his tenure at the mic. His brittle speak-singing was practically woven into the band's DNA. But really, there's no need to be afraid. Malleability has always been one of The Ex's main virtues. When long-time bassist Luc Ex departed in 2002, they brought on a replacement. When she left, just a few years later, Andy Moor put some bass strings on his guitar and the band got on with things. The Ex have regularly accommodated guest performers with strong musical identities - cellist Tom Cora, free-jazz drummer Han Bennink, and Ethiopian saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria among them - but never had its trademark sound obscured. But it helps that de Boer, who also performs in frequent the Ex tour-mates Zea, sounds a lot like Sok. "All the pilots get rich / All the passengers pay for it," he yelps over increasingly frenzied guitar scrapes. He has all of the requisite Euro punk-squat-bred bile that the gig requires. And the rest of the band is as tight as ever - hammering out repetitive, dissonant, and weirdly funky riffs. By the time they hit that noisy rave-up in the last 30 seconds of the song, it's clear that even with a brand new vocalist, The Ex are still The Ex.’’ Aaron Leitko - Pitchfork. |
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