Bettie Serveert

The problem with a band as consistent as Bettie Serveert is that their albums start to blend together. It isn't that they all sound the same, although there's no doubt that Carol van Dijk's vocals are a unifying factor, but it's hard not to dismiss Oh Mayhem as just another Bettie Serveert release. It most likely won't bring them large numbers of new fans, but existing ones will be more than satisfied. Their tenth album finds some middle ground between their guitar-heavy early days and their subsequent poppier moments, not by bringing the two styles together but by having songs that fall into either category. For every radio-friendly tune like "Had2Byou," there are a couple of meatier ones, such as "Sad Dog" and "Receiver," where Peter Visser gets to dust off his guitar. The other thing that works to their advantage this time around is succinctness. Apparently much of the album was written in the studio and that's stopped Bettie Serveert from stretching things out, something that's usually irresistible to them. While it might be just another Bettie Serveert record, it's also another solid addition to their already impressive discography.