Ting

Description

Ting was released in 1992. The band decided to record the songs primarily with piano and percussion accompaniment. Hofstede set aside his guitar, Stips did not touch his vast library of sounds and samples, and Kloet did not play the drums but instead played orchestral percussion instruments. Guest musicians were invited for most of the songs (mainly bass and cello), and on some tracks, the "Klangsteine" (musical stones), artworks by Swiss sculptor Arthur Schneiter, were used. These stones could be played with mallets, hence the title of the album. They can also be rubbed by hand to create a buzzing sound. On the album, the whole band plays the stones, along with Schneiter and his friend, Swiss percussionist Fritz Hauser. The music is often calm and melancholic, but also includes strong pop songs, such as the cheerful "Soap Bubble Box," whose lyrics were inspired by artist Joseph Cornell and the Nits classic "Cars And Cars." The lyrics are often introspective and/or abstract, even poetic, and much less immediately comprehensible than on previous albums.