Album Review: The Whims of the Great Magnet, Gronsveld Jams Vol. 2
It’s called Gronsveld Jams Vol. 2, and guess what? It’s the second collection of jams recorded in Gronsveld, The Netherlands, from whence The Whims of the Great Magnet hail. What began as a band became a solo-project for Sander Haagmans, formerly of Dutch heavy psych purveyors Sungrazer, and has grown into a vibrant outfit with time, able to be solo or have a full live lineup. On this release, that includes drummer Jonathan Frederix, bassist David Eering (also guitar/vocals in The Machine), and guitarist/synthesist/vocalist Arthur von Berg in addition to Haagmans himself on guitar and vocals.
The shift has been gradual and organic, as perhaps in invariably would be given both the style and personnel involved, but listening to Gronsveld Jams Vol. 2 — the sequel to the 2024-issued Gronsveld Jams ’23 — there’s no question that in character and form, this is a band now, rather than a spearheaded project, and it’s the chemistry and ability to harness a flow from out of the ether at seemingly a measure’s notice as put forth in the 28-minute opener/longest track (immediate points) “Honey Bee Yammm > Freeloader Jam” that distinguishes them. Make no mistake, this is in essence a rehearsal recording, so if you’re seeking crisp studio-tracked perfection set to a click, you’ll probably want to seek elsewhere. Nothing against that, mind you — believe it or not there’s room on this planet and its according digital ether for both approaches — but you should be clear on what Gronsveld Jams Vol. 2 is both aiming for and offering in terms of listening experience.
The answer there is plenty when it comes to conveying the exploration, the musical conversation and the fluidity into and out of structured material taking place across however many sessions it was in Feb. and July this year. From the palpable warmth of the tones of guitar and bass to the post-grunge light-swinging bounce of ‘Freeloader Jam’ and the flowing, here somewhat noisy take on “Baby Blue” as The Whims of the Great Magnet follow a 28-minute track with one that’s 25 in “Sunstroke Serenade Jam > Baby Blue > Froggy > DSM,” the two extended, compiled stretches already long enough to push the limits of a vinyl side, let alone be an album on their own. Put them together with the jokey “Guess the Intro” (4:45), “Soundcheck Jam” (9:47), which was also released as a standalone earlier this year, and “Baby Blue (Reprise) > Still No Limits Jam” (7:00), and Gronsveld Jams Vol. 2 runs an encompassing 75 minutes, and true to both form and the title they gave it, much of that time is spent jamming.
That can be a quiet succession of looped-sounding noodles that might be the ‘Froggy’ portion of that piece, or it might be a tighter shuffle like that which takes hold for a little while in “Guess the Intro,” which in itself begs the question of whether or not one should be trying to figure out which song is being played. Or, alternatively, maybe it’s the band who are confused between them about where they’re headed next. Either way, just by implying that might be the case, The Whims of the Great Magnet maintain a human, humble presence in the music, and that they would choose to include a meander like “Guess the Intro,” let alone make it the centerpiece of the album, tells you they’re committed to keeping things loose, to capturing some sense of the authentic in a ‘warts-and-all’ context, and to not pretending to be something they aren’t.
“Soundcheck Jam” has an ambling, low-key swing and swagger, and lets the bass come through a little more, which is nothing to complain about. Haagmans is credited with the recording and mix (also the cover art), and while I’m not sure what that actually entailed in terms of process — a lot of mic setup in a live room of some sort, presumably, with knob-twisting before, during and after — for sure there is a sense of dynamic that comes through the material.
Before they dip back to “Baby Blue (Reprise) > Still No Limits Jam,” with Frederix doing a bit more shuffle on the drums and Haagmans and von Berg coming together on vocals, “Soundcheck Jam” holds to its mellow-nod ambling, and in part because it’s one of the two inclusions here without the bootleg-tape-in-the-closet style ‘>’ in its title (of which I’m a fan, by the way; you could do the same thing with slashes, but it communicates ‘into’ so much more with the angle bracket), and in part because it was previously released months before the rest of the collection, it feels like a standout.
It’s on solid footing in terms of rhythm as well, even with some percussive dalliance in its second half, and I guess in some ways if you’re looking for a convenient example of how The Whims of the Great Magnet get down when it comes to instrumentalism, it’s the lowest-hanging fruit here, which makes it cool because you wouldn’t want to strain a shoulder or something, man. The point is it’s mellow-vibes front to back, but I know that not every brain is wired to dig on 75 minutes of ready-to-take-it-for-a-walk-and-maybe-not-come-back jamming.
To that end, I’ll point out how effectively “Baby Blue,” which appeared on late-2024’s Haagmans-solo studio foray Frydom (review here), provides a landmark along the way. Without removing the audience from the in-the-room atmosphere, it casually drops a hook that not only gives shape to the surrounding amorphousness but then manages to come back around and do it again at the start of the last of the five tracks. No, I don’t think the band sat down and planned it that way — I think probably they just played it on both occasions when they were jamming that are included here — but as with the best of improvised and/or jammed-out heavy psych, some of the best moments are the ones you didn’t necessarily plan for.
In that way, Gronsveld Jams Vol. 2 — and if there’s a ‘Vol. 3’ at some point, I won’t complain — reminds its audience of the importance of spontaneity to its makeup, and it’s fortunate that The Whims of the Great Magnet seem to have such a deep supply. If you’re on board with heavy jams and haven’t had a go yet, nobody’s gonna call you late. It’s not that kind of party.
The Whims of the Great Magnet, Gronsveld Jams Vol. 2 (2025)
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Tags: Gronsveld, Gronsveld Jams Vol. 2, The Netherlands, The Whims of the Great Magnet, The Whims of the Great Magnet Gronsveld Jams Vol. 2
