SUPERSISTER PROJEKT 2019: RETSIS REPUS

"Sweet OK Sister" was a band founded in 1967 in the Netherlands. They changed their name to Supersister later, but were still the same band. Considered part of the Canterbury Scene, they had a sound similar to "The Soft Machine" and "Caravan". The band originally released 5 full length albums between 1970 and 1974. Since that time, two of the original members have passed away, but, original founder Robert Jan Stips has recently decided to release a new album in March 2019 (the vinyl version was released in early April 2019) under the name of Supersister Projekt 2019 which harkens back to the original sound of the band. These are all new songs, 11 total with a run time of 39 minutes, with individual tracks ranging from 0:44 to 7:59. Robert provides the keyboards and vocals, but there are many musicians joining him in this new album, which is called "Retsis Repus".

Right off the bat, you get that somewhat minimal, somewhat dissonant and somewhat odd sound with the Progressive Folk and Canterbury sound, each instrument is easy to hear and distinct. Minimal percussion, interesting vocals and harmonies, and fuzzy guitars give it all that retro sound in the first track "Memories Are New IV", but the clarity of it all makes it current. Then there is that layer of jazz that permeates the music, you'll hear that clearly in the piano led "I Am You Are Me/Tramitter". The sound here is bright and there is a instrumental section in this that is long enough to let all of the solos breathe, most of them being piano or synth solos.

"For You and For Nobody Else" (the longest track on the album) continues with the jazz orientations, as expected, but has the inclusion of brass this time around, and very airy vocals. The tempo slows down later and meanders along in a nice way with violin, brass and piano creating a pastoral feel. The tempo alternates back and forth several times with the percussion staying mostly far in the background. "Max Eco" is a complex and more rock style than the previous track, but still with the odd melodies and progressive style. The vocals might be a little strange to a listeners that haven't had much experience with this style of music as they are somewhat dissonant and definitely not your standard fare which in a way reminds one of the complexity of "Comus", but much smoother sounding (it is progressive after all). "Hope to See You There Again" is a nice, almost blissful, instrumental (mostly anyway) which makes me feel like I'm flying above the clouds.

"Yellow Days" goes back to the jazz feel, but even with the strings and brass and the odd fuzzy synth, it still has that nice, smooth sound. Soft vocals come in after 2 minutes as everything turns quite minimal and pensive. "Next Door Movie" is another instrumental led by some interesting brass and string exploits with a xylophone also having it's own say. Progressively complex, yet smooth and airy at the same time. "Cuckoo" is a witty track with harmonized vocal layers and silly spoken words and sung lyrics. "Hope to See You Again" ends the album with a nice lushness.

Canterbury lovers will enjoy this album for it's strangenss and unpredictability and prog lovers will enjoy it's complexity. There are defintately legitimate ties to the sound of other Canterbury bands like Comus and Gong, but the overall sound isn't quite as choppy as those bands as there is this airiness and smoothness to the music in this album. But I still think it will appeal to fans of those bands, like myself. I feel it just misses the 5 star mark, but it definitely is an excellent album that seems to get better the more you hear it. Highly recommended to fans of the genre.

Supersister´s founding member Robert Jan Stips rescues his heritage and re-models the early days of the Dutch band featuring an eager and talented guest list of collaborative musicians to accomplish his task.

How will Supersister sound in 2019? Was the question & guideline to this 11 track Supersister Projekt 2019: Retsis Repus.

To answer the question up front, this resuscitated and updated Supersister sounds as fresh, original, inventive, diverse and fun as their 70´s releases were. So to put the finger in the wound this is not just a rehash of old formulas, opposite to that the whole concept turns into a revindication of Supersister´s musical language relevance in the Progressive Music catalogue and a gentle reminder of what Prog music should be aiming for to start with.

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Robert Jan Stips is the founder and key composer, keyboard player, and singer of the early Canterbury band, SUPERSISTER. Once he left the band around 1974 (to join GOLDEN EARRING--after their world-wide hit album, Moontan with the monster hit, "Radar Love") it didn't take long before the band disintegrated. Here, in 2019, Robert Jan reveals a collection of songs that are either holdovers from that early 1970s period of his life or recent compositions that demonstrate how deeply the SUPERSISTER spirit has held steadfast within him. Many of these songs are refreshing in their upbeat, fun, and beautiful melodies, reminding one of just how special those 1971-73 Supersister albums were.

1. "I Am You Are Me / Transmitter" (4:44) (10/10) 2. "Memories Are New IV" (3:26) (8.5/10) 3. "For You And For Nobody Else" (7:59) (12.5/15) 4. "Sister Talk 1" (0:44) (4/5) 5. "Max Eco" (3:00) (8.25/10) 6. "Hope To See You There Again" (5:28) cool song that plays out like a cinematically emotional Post Rock song. (9.25/10) 7. "Yellow Days" (4:31) (10/10) 8. "Sister Talk 2" (0:35) (4.25/5) 9. "Next Door Movie" (3:12) another nice soundtrack song (8.5/10) 10. "Cuckoo" (3:58) live one room stage recording? Too goofy--though I like Robert Jan's narrative in the second minute. (7/10) 11. "Hope To See You Again" (1:24) (5/5)

Total Time 39:01

B/four stars; a welcome contribution from one of the early leaders of the Canterbury sound and a nice addition to any prog lover's music collection.

What a pleasant and welcome addition to this bands discography. I like that Robert Jan Stips who I believe wrote a lot of Supersisters music included the sound he had developed in the band Nits here.

Memories are New IV is a reference to a Nits song and is a chill opener with really neat breaks away from the main idea of the song.

Track 2 has a great keyboard opener and the classic lazy echo vocals of Robert Jan Stips. The contrast between singing and keys is fantastic.

Sister Talk 1 is a brief interlude of vibes, yeah it's pretty,

For You And Nobody Else is a cool song and the longest on the album. It features some sublime catchy vocals and violin. One of the highlights of the album for me. A lot of the song has this sublime chamber feel and just exudes character throughout.

Max Eco is a pro nature song that I find to be of average quality. It isn't bad but isn't good.

Hope To See You There Again is a cool instrumental with atmospheric leads over a thumping drum groove.

Yellow Days is a three part song clocking in at four minutes, absolutely beautiful. Opening with a section sort of keeping up the vibe of the previous track it sounds like a full band effort, full attention to the composition. The second part contains vocals and is keys/violin with haunting singing.. The final part is an electronic section that came as a total surprise and oddly enough works very well.

Sister Talk 2 is like the it's previous instalment. It's an interlude y'know?

Next Door Movie opens with Marimba and alongside brass forges a cool instrumental.

Cuckoo is a sillier number, it's got this over the top female choral part that I really dislike yet also has a majestic spoken word piece. I get the meaning behind this song is why it sounds like it does but I care about sound over meaning and it's not worth it for me. I would prefer this song as like a digital bonus track.

Hope To See You Again ends the album with slow drumming and dramatic violin. An effective closer.

Overall one of the best things about this album in my eyes is how despite being short songs these are still well developed changing/engaging songs. I don't think anything on this album is below average and when the music is at its best it is absolutely excellent.