The Black Atlantic – Press & Reviews
Nu.nl (NL)
"An astonishing debut." 9 out of 10
Oor Magazine (NL)
"You don’t have to come all the way from Iceland to make soft, mysterious,
orchestral dream pop – The Black Atlantic prove it."
Spinner.com (US)
“Inspired by classic singer-songwriters and modern folk, the Black Atlantic has
created and ethereal and evocative sound”
20 Watts (US)
"With their sad, shadowy crooning and sweet acoustic overtures, Holland’s The
Black Atlantic are pretty much perfect for gusty fall weather."
Oxford American (US)
"[...] van der Velde dances around the subject of his own dark introspection with a
playful, yet respectful, grace".
Altcountry.nl (NL)
"a moving and magical album." 8 out 10
Love Shack, Baby (Chicago, US)
"The Black Atlantic have crafted a collection of songs here that evoke what it must
be like to float aimlessly on the ocean without fear of drowning or being lost."
Dedicated Ears (Chicago, US)
"Aided by friends in Brooklyn based band The Antlers and Spanish Prisoners the
overall sound is rich and full without wall to wall instrumentation"
The Black Atlantic Press & Reviews Continued…
Drive Wayfarer Drive (CA)
"The album is lovely without being precious, ambitious without being alienating,
whimsical without being stupid."
L'Hebdo (CH)
"Haunting but not too much, evanescent but not transparent, diverse without a loss
of homogeneity..."
Still Life (NL)
"It's hard to pick a favorite on the album. Each song almost can't do without the
other. Each song has its place in The Black Atlantic's landscape..." 9 out of 10
Slowcoustic (Calgary, CA)
"nr. 2 best album of 2009"
"While Bon Iver’s “For Emma, Forever Ago” was a bit more singer-songwriter, this
album would have been the album he did if he brought friends."
Rollo & Grady (Los Angeles, US)
"nr. 41 of 50" best albums of 2009"
"One of the biggest surprises...[of 2009]"
Delusions of Adequacy (US)
" True musical versatility is something rarely seen by today’s standards which is
why The Black Atlantic are so graceful and appealing.”
LP33.tv (US)
" The Black Atlantic have finely crafted a sound that combines the best of folk,
acoustic, and melancholic pop with musical minimalism. They calm audiences with
their vocal harmonies and imagery of nature and connect deeply with audiences by
sharing songs replete with stories of love, family, grief, disenchantment, and
overcoming.”
AB Concerts (BE) – Reeperbahn Live Review
"The much talked about band The Black Atlantic turned out to be a great discovery.
Let’s be unfair and label them as the Dutch Isbells, although their songs are much
more rooted in the Appalachian folk-movement. I’d like to ask my co-bookers to put
this band high on their ‘to-book-in-2011’ list
PZC (NL) – Avonduren Festival Live Review
“One of the highlights during the afternoon was the endearing indie folkpop band
The Black Atlantic. Although currently enjoying international success the band
members were still visibly enjoying this performance at Middelburg. With their soft,
acoustic music they enchanted the captivated audience who rewarded each and
every song with applause louder then you’ll hear at most big venues.”
Manchester Music (UK) – Haldern Festival Live Review
"THE BLACK ATLANTIC kicked things off with a very pleasant set, country/folktinged, full of hope and reverent love for all Nature’s copious bounty. You know; all
that gentle slightly sticky stuff that reminds you that you really should listen to “Pet
Sounds” once in a while. To be honest we couldn’t actually see them, as the place
was absolutely packed and any attempt at entering the bar to see the band would
leave you no wiser but certainly sweatier so, as they’d opened the windows, sitting
on the pavement in the sun nursing a beer seemed the best option. The name Black
Atlantic would lead you to expect some gloomy introspection, but as we’ve said, this
was reverence all the way, even down to the “hand drawn” record covers. A nice
touch was when the band came out and performed a capella to the crowd outside.
Nice stuff."
Incendiary Magazine (UK) – Haldern Festival Live Review
“The Haldern Pop bar can comfortably accommodate around 50 seated patrons and
it can hold around 100 or so standing, assuming they’re all comfortable standing
very close to one another. Around 5 times that number turned up in time to catch
The Black Atlantic play their second show of the weekend. Needless to say, we
didn’t get in. Instead, we sat outside where the overspill gathered and took up
seated positions wherever they felt like it; on windowsills, in doorways, on
kerbsides, even in the middle of the road. One bloke even sat in a fountain but we
were slightly worried about his sanity, it must be said.”
Sentamentalist Magazine (US) – CMJ 2010 Live Review
"The band breezed through a tranquil set of folksy indie pop songs featuring
beguiling vocal harmonies and mesmeric piano and acoustic guitar melodies.”
Hey Reverb (US) – the Hi-Dive Live Review
“An exceptionally talented band, members of The Black Atlantic played various
instruments, including guitars, keys, ukulele and the concertina.”
Funki Blok (NL) – Eurosonic Live Review
“The Black Atlantic played some fantastic songs which, by times, managed to move
the audience. In between songs singer Geert told the crowd – in flawless American
English – beautiful, personal stories. An intimate concert which got me relaxed for
the rest of the festival.“