Ting

Description

Ting was released in 1992.
The band decided to record the songs with mainly piano and percussion accompaniment. Hofstede put his guitar aside, Stips did not touch his extensive library of sounds and samples and Kloet did not played the drum-set, but played orchestral percussion instruments.
Guest musicians were invited for most songs (mainly bass and cello) and on some songs 'Klangsteine' (musical stones), works of art by the Swiss scutor Arthur Schneiter, were used. These stones could be played with mallets, which explains the title of the album. They could also be rubbed by hand to create a buzzing sound. On the album the entire band plays the stones, together with Schneiter and friend Swiss percussionist Fritz Hauser.
The music is often quiet and melancholic, but also contains some strong pop songs, including the cheerful "Soap Bubble Box", the lyrics of which were inspired by the artist Joseph Cornell and the Nits classic "Cars And Cars". The lyrics are often introverted and/or abstract, even poetic and much less immediately understandable than on previous albums.
Ting is available as a limited edition of 500 copies on silver vinyl and includes an insert with additional pictures provided by the band.