Like Wendy – The Fisher
My second review of 2021 will be with progressive rock, Dutch band, Like Wendy. They have been making music since their debut album in 1998, “The Storm Inside”, on the LaBraD’or label. They have released their latest album, The Fisher, on January 1, 2021.
The band is made up of a group of friends who used to join in comradery, at the Amersfoort Pub, in the Netherlands, to discuss music. One day they decided to start making their own. Bert Heinen, plays all instruments on The Fisher, and also sings all lead vocals. Trumpet is played by Jos Reijnhout.
The opening song, “The Fisher, Part 1”, opens with an almost country/folk feel, after the opening keyboards. Bert Heinen’s vocal has a country/folk sound to it. The lyrics are wonderful and are supported with good music. Heinen sings, “In the black and heavy rainfall. Forcing heaven on its knees. There where light and darkness battle. A Hymn through sails sounds as it breathes. Where trusses shake with fear. Oak wood cracks as nature pounds. And the sea pours out its guts. Salving wrecks with battering sounds. Those North Sea storms are pounding”. The song generally has a Gordon Lightfoot, “Wreck of the Edmund’s Fitzgerald” feel to it. Similar story, only this time in the North Sea. This track ebbs and flows between country/folk and blues.
On “Stormbound”, the story continues, as Heinen sings, “I wake up, hear the warning. bell chimes like a song. It echoes with the living. And fades out like a drum. If we can make it till the rising sun. Lightning strikes us with its bright wings. Waves are on the run. Bright and hazardous the journey. Till the kingdom come. I had a hard time comparing Heinen’s voice, but I think I got it – Don Henley. Only subtler and less direct. There is more of an Eagles feel to this song and band than Genesis, though they mention Genesis as an influence.
“The Cross”, opens with the sound of gulls and soft acoustic guitar. Heinen sings, “Here by the harbor lies the old familiar road to home. That I know. And over the rooftops where the rainclouds meet the eye. There raise the masts of boats. And if you walk the cobbled stones of misty aisles and hollow moans. You break the bones and wake the souls of ghosts. The guitar solos are very good. The keyboard work also stands out well.
“The Fisher, Part 2”, is a very spiritual song. Best on the album for me. Full of wonderful acoustic guitar and string orchestration. Heinen sings, “Protect my son. Where he may go. Surrounded by the wind and breakers. Named as a child by God, our hope. And sealed to be a ship’s companion. See the old sun, feel the old wave. The heavens look upon him. Protect my son. My life, my faith. And give a safe and gentle journey. His shoulders broad and hands so rough. To embrace me on that good day. See the old sun, feel the old wave. The heavens look upon him”. Wonderful acoustic guitar work follows. Then the sounds of gulls, piano, followed by the sound of the ocean. Beautiful moments of bliss. The music flows well, like ocean waves. The twanging guitars and harmonica, towards the end, brings back that country feel.
“Brand New”, opens with Heinen singing, “Wintertime, wintertime. Feel it in my bones. All dressed up, all dressed up. Nowhere left to go. All this time all this time. Trying so hard to give”. This song has more of an acoustic Led Zeppelin feel to it..
“Dune”, is an excellent acoustic guitar closer. Heinen sings, “Well her I am waiting. It is so right. I listen to the wind. On the golden dunes”. Electric guitar joins in.
This was a wonderful surprise. I was expecting the sounds of Collins-era Genesis, and what I found was a wonderful story about the sea, set to some great acoustic music, with more of a folk feel.
Track List
- The Fisher (Part 1)
- Stormbound
- The Cross
- The Fisher (Part II)
- Brand New
- Dune
https://like-wendy.wixsite.com/likewendy
https://likewendy.bandcamp.com/
https://likewendy.bandcamp.com/album/the-fisher
https://www.facebook.com/likewendymusic/