Customer Reviews

Blue Wonder Power Milk

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

As you listen to all three Hooverphonic albums you will hear a difference in sound which seperates each one in their own distinct way but I think that BLUE WONDER POWER MILK is their most mature album to date, thus deserving a ton of recognition. And despite the fact that I strongly feel that their first album, A NEW STEREOPHONIC SOUND SPECTACULAR was a bit disappointing just because of all the excess hype, their third album THE MAGNIFICENT TREE seemed to smooth out all the uneven edges, despite the fact that it took an unexpected turn toward the dreamy yet very mainstream pop scene. BLUE WONDER POWER MILK, however, seems to sit perfect in the middle as their most impressive work yet. I also think it wise of them to have replaced the lead singer Liesje Sadonius with that of Geike Arnaert. She just seems to have more feeling to her voice which adds an unexpected warmth to the cool, chilled-out electro beats amidst the smooth string arrangments that rise with the momentum of the songs. "Renaissance Affair" and "Battersea" are prime-examples of this while songs like "One Way Ride" and "This Strange Effect" have more of a dream-pop sound that'll remind you of groups like Mandalay, Olive, Morcheeba and Joydrop. Even Alex Callier lends his rapturous male vocals on songs like "Dictionary" and "Electro Shock Faders" which elevates the album to a haunting effect. I also really dig "Eden" (which my favorite pop singer, Sarah Brightman, did a cover of) and the cold "Magenta" with its mystique speak-singing that grips the soul with an icy chill that's refreshing and new...

This is by far the best Hooverphonic album so buy it without a thought and enjoy...

This is highly recommended.

I guess that this album is classified as a "Trip Hop" album, and Trip Hop lovers will probably buy it. I'm a trip hop lover, and I bought this album of course, and found out it is not trip hop. Still, it's a fanatastic album.

Trip Hop uses the drums and sinths of Hip Hop to make sound more like ambient. This album doesn't have this sound. It doesn't sound like Portishead, Massive of Mono. It sounds like Hooverphonic : a sound that is almost pure acustic (they use orchestra) but still will be a favorite of electronic sound lovers.

The album begins quite fast, with a strange drum & bass beat over slow string tune ("Battersea") and kind of slowing down until a noisy break in the middle ("Lung") and then goes down to slower and a very darker sound.

Three tracks in this album have a male vocal. That's an interesting thing, because most of the bands usually have one leading vocal, and it adds to the diversity of sounds.

Pay attention to "Club Montepulciano" and "This Strange Effect", which are, for my opinion, the best tunes in this album, listen to the voice of the singer almost breaking every glass in the house, and be hypnotized - like I was.

I loved this album. The vocals, sounds, music, etc, are very original and unique.. If you enjoy this type of music, I recommend these artists: Portishead, Statik Sound System (hard to find), Single Cell Orchestra, Mono, Cranes (early cranes).. Let me know if you found my recommendations helpful!

I had never heard of this band until a few months ago, when 2 of this album's tunes were featured on the tv show "La Femme Nikita." Now I am so glad I bought this CD! "Eden" and "This Strange Effect" are both great songs, but so is the rest of the album, especially "Club Montepuciano" and "Magenta," just to name a few. Every time I play this CD I find that there is something else I like about it. A lot of people won't buy CDs from non-mainstream bands because they are afraid that they won't like the entire album. I used to be guilty of that myself! I am so glad to finally get tuned in to some great music and found out what I have been missing all these years. Take my word for it--you will love this one.

Wow!!! What a beautiful album! It starts out simply with a string section playing a chord progression in "Battersea". Then, a fast trip hop rhythm enters, but it sounds a little awkward with the slow progression of the strings. Finally, the vocals come in and I am blown away. The voice, heavily layered with echoes, blends in perfectly with the other instruments and makes this song incredible.

The rest of the album keeps up the pace of the first song and blends together beautifully. The weak voice of the female singer and the softness of the pads and strings allow for a smooth, pleasant sound. Weak female voices are much too popular in electronica and are rarely used well, but like Portishead, Hooverphonic knows how to use the vocals.

One of the problems with the album is that Hooverphonic relied too heavily on strings and ambience to make a good sound, but hey, if it works, it works. Even so, there are songs like "Electro Shock Faders", which seem to be nothing special at all, so they layer it heavily with strings. There are also songs where the strings are indispensible, like "Battersea" and "Eden". Another gripe with the album is that the female vocals do not fit the music well in a few songs, like in "Lung" and "This Strange Effect".

However, it does work for a majority of the songs. These small problems do not detract significantly from the album. The fact
is that this album is one of my favorite albums to listen to. It is not terribly diverse, but the music is great. My rating is actually a 4.5 because this is not a perfect album, but I can guarantee that you will like it if you like the cool grooves of artists like Portishead and Morcheeba.

Of the three Hooverphonic albums I own, "Blue Wonder Power Milk" is my favorite. I do love "The Magnificent Tree" as well as "A New Stereophnic Sound Spectacular" but I have to go with "Blue Wonder Power Milk" as my particular favorite Hooverphonic album. The delicate, subtle melodies are simply exquisite and breathtaking. The Belgium band here incorporates a more classical sound to their electronic-based music which isn't heard on their other two albums. The song "Eden" which one of my favorite female vocalists Sarah Brightman covers is heard on this cd. I like both versions so I can't say which is better. "One Way Ride" and "Battersea" reminds me a bit of Goldfrapp with that orchestral sound. I can't help but notice on "Blue Wonder Power Milk" how different Geike Arnaert sounds as opposed to the other albums. Plus Alex Callier is given more songs to sing which might I add his vocals sounds rapturous too. Hooverphonic is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite bands and "Blue Wonder Power Milk" has established their place in my heart.

I heard "This Strange Effect" on a cell phone ad recently and had to have it. Tracked the CD down through Amazon.com,listened to the samples and decided to buy it even though on my initial listen no other song stuck out like "Strange Effect". When I got to listen to the whole CD, it blew me away. Another reviewer astutely pointed out that the strings in "Battersea" are reminiscent of Henryk Gorecki's "Symphony No.3". They also make a few more appearances on other songs. What's lovely about "Battersea" is the perfect mix of strings playing as if they were ascending into heaven, Geike Arnaert's lovely/sweet voice, the bass & drums that subtly get louder than softer in the mix and the great melody provided by Mr. Callier. Though there's not a bad song in the bunch, my faves are "Battersea","Dictionary", the sexy/weird "Club Montepulciano","Eden",freaky/funky "Lung","This Strange Effect","Tuna" and "Magenta",the trippy official closing song. The bonus song is named after the album.
I tend to write lyrics like these (strange,poetic,off-balance,left-of-center)for my own songs(Hear Jay Thing's "Guardians of the Underworld)and know that some folks dig them and some don't. But the music is so hypnotic, lush and beautiful you don't need to know what the lyrics are anyway.
This is wonderful futuristic symphonic pop and I can't wait to check out the rest of their catalogue. As has been pointed out in these reviews,this CD sounds especially awesome when listened to with headphones. So go dig it boys & girls!

As much as I hate to owe my purchase of this album to a commercial I saw on TV, I must give kudos to VW for using "Renaissance Affair" for their add, and then giving credit to them on their website. I guess it's really no different than if I saw a video for the song. Anyway the bit used in the add haunted me for the few weeks it took me to find out who it was and then to buy it. I was not at all disappointed, and in fact find it quite inspiring. This is a great album from the hauntingly beautiful vocals of Geike to the perfect integration of orchestra with electronic instruments to the exciting drumwork. There are so many layers, but yet it does not sound overly produced or crowded. It's nice to hear music going in a direction such as this one, especially when there is so much in the current music scene to be unhappy about. Hooverphonic stands out. Definitely buy this album!

This disc is considerably more instrumentally lush than Hooverphonic's previous album. The tracks alternate between electronic grooves and powerful melodies backed with horns and strings. Some songs still feature the sparse, trip-hop beats of the first disc, but this album adds the drive and energy of drum-and-bass to several songs. Geike (new vocalist) does a great job, giving a performance I would classify as "hypnotic." Don't buy this if you're looking for straight trip-hop, because it's not--Hooverphonic has progressed to the next level.

I really don't understand why people compare Hooverphonic to Portishead...is it just because they both have female vocalists? "Blue Wonder Power Milk" is certainly a LOT more soothing than Portishead, and it has an even more complete sound than Hooverphonic's first album.

The string arrangements throughout "Blue Wonder..." are fantastic, and like Hooverphonic's first album, there are strong basslines running through the music. I'd say that "Eden" is my favorite tune on this album (by the way, song 3--Dictionary--is missing from the above tracklisting altogether), but many of the rest are close behind.

If you want an album with exciting beats and a solid, soothing, sound, you can't miss with this one...unless of course you are a huge Portishead fan. :)