Close to a one-man show, the Dolorama Project has been staged by
Roeland Dol, an editor who compiles dictionaries for a living. “No,
it's not very rock-'n-roll,” he says, “but I like it anyway.”
In any case, editing dictionaries didn't stop him from being a convicted
musician, bolted down for life on the floor of many, many bars. After
years of being a sideman, playing bass and keyboards in different
bands, he now for the first time has recorded a collection of his
own songs, according to his own specs, making them sound as natural
and homegrown as they are.
The Dolorama Project's first album, Subject To Change, contains
14 songs in various tones and different voices, all of which emerged
during the recording process. Since love and life don't always lead
to happy endings (or seldom without a bit of a struggle anyway), most
of the lyrics have a certain craquelé quality, which
reflects in the lead vocals, but it's not all gloomy, cynical stuff;
there's plenty in-perspective-putting on the side.
Instrumentally the arrangements are pretty concise: drums, bass,
acoustic/electric guitars, (electric) piano/organ, with some assorted
extras; nothing too fancy though. Roeland Dol is the featured vocalist
on five of the tracks, Tomas Miguens Rijken, Joram Torny and Marianne
Verbrugge singing the remaining nine songs.
Additional acoustic guitar was played by Martijn Koolen, trumpet
by Hermine Schneider and E-flat tuba by Tjitze Vogel. Mastering was
engineered and chaperoned by Alex Geurink (Studio 8).
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Visit the Dolorama Project on MySpace
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Listen to the Dolorama Project on NPR's "All Songs Considered Open
Mic"
Dolorama
Project 
