Local indie folk/pop band Bird on the Wire release new modern art inspired single

Feb 25, 2012 | by Nina | Music

About the author

Nina Pierson is co-founder of PUP Amsterdam. An artistic platform for the young and promising creative crowd of the future. She's also a freelance journalist and here she will combine both passions and give her readers a sneak peak in the wonderful world of PUP and beyond.. "If I don't create to empty my mind I go mad."

Nowadays, people don’t expect a song or artwork to stands by itself. In these times of mixed media, internet and a 1001 opportunities, different disciplines and creative arenas collide, join forces and expand their areas of expertise. A photographer works together with a graphic designer, and concept stores where you can drink coffee, buy fashion and read credible books rise like there is no tomorrow. Music isn’t just for the ears either. Is that a bad thing? No not at all, it inspires us and brings life to interesting deeper levels of cultural participation.

Music inspired by modern art

The Amsterdam based indie/folkpop band Bird on the Wire will soon release their 7” single. Fitting with this trend, you’ll find two songs on the single that evolved out of a collaboration with two renowned Dutch museums: the Groninger Museum and the Van Gogh Museum. The band wrote musical interpretations of modern artworks from different expositions. This unique cross-pollination of art disciplines will now be brought together and published on a double A-side single.

Icons of ‘Groningenland’

Aside from international names such as Angus & Julia Stone, Great Lake Swinners and Dutch musicians such as Homemade Empire and Roy Santiago, the band got inspired by work form the exhibition Iconen van het Groningerland by Jan Altink (1885-1971). Visitors of this exhibition can follow a special audio tour where they can hear songs written especially for the paintings by more then 30 artist. On March 24th Bird on the Wire will perform in the context of this collaboration.

The song Noise of a Quiet Man by Bird on the Wire is based on the painting Portret van H.N Werkman (1925), and its music video was released recently. It was made by Vrederick in collaboration with Aldo Brinkhoff. Pretvormers and Roos Pollmann takes you on a journey through strange construction sites and solitary landscapes where the combination of image and music cause a stirring synergy.

Music in the Van Gogh Museum

On the other side of this double A-side single you’ll find the song Le Petit Prince witch was inspired by the painting Cossacks (1910-1911) by Wassily Kandinsky. This painting is part of the travelling exhibition Dreams of nature. Symbolisme van Van Gogh tot Kandinsky. Bird on the Wire made a musical contemporary counterpart of the artwork. When you visit the museum the tunes will reach your ears when walking through the space. The single will be released as a collaboration between the band and Subroutine Records.

Bird on the Wire will perform with St. Vincent in The Melkweg on Wednesday February 29th.

The single 'Le Petit Prince' is inspired on this painting Cossacks (1910-1911)