Customer Reviews

Hooverphonic: A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having heard their subsequent albums, I am certain a chip in the head of Alex Callier malfunctioned or someone else wrote the first album. The moods and rhythms evoked by this first album are far more complex than most of the songs on Blue Wonder Power Milk and most definitely the trite Magnificent Tree.

From the first hypnotic track, Inhaler, this album is like a syren that draws you in closer and closer. With Liesje's departure, something was lost. Nr9 is a remarkable song. I've never quite heard anything like it.

Musically, this album is layered from beginning to end with dreamy instrumentals, and the beats...trip hop, drum and bass, or whatever you want to call it, that isn't mired in an orchestral overkill of synthetic strings or your latest band to add a few string arrangements to add credibility to their music. That is what they've done on their second and third albums, unfortunately. Like Orson Welles, Hooverphonic hit their peak with their first work. They achieved a sound that is nothing like Portishead, only to the virginal listener who finds Moloko, Mono and Olive to all sound the same. Only time will tell if Hooverphonic comes to their senses, which I doubt they will with how far out they've ventured from their original charm.

this CD never leaves my sight...it's in the car...it's downloaded on my computer at work...it's in the CD player at home. if there were ever a group to take you in a new direction of music, allow Hooverphonic to lead the way. dreamy...otherworldly...hypnotic. little bit of trip-hop...trip-pop...lounge...and vocals that will leave you wanting more after every listen. when i'm listening to this at work, i always get the "who's this? it's really good...wow." trust me...this debut release from this Belgian band is incredible. i have yet to get the other two albums (milk and tree)...a bit scared of tarnishing my view i suppose. nonetheless...you owe it yourself as a fan of music to get this CD and experience what is known as a "New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular".

I just received my shipment today, and I'm already incredibly impressed with this CD. This is true trip-hop in the fashion of Portishead and Massive Attack. To me, only 2 tracks disappoint: Sarangi and Revolver. All of the others have the incredible dynamic range of the best trip-hop. Barabas reminds me of Massive Attack's incredible Unfinished Sympathy, but my favorite is the retro sounding Innervoice, simply peaceful. Also, this is the first trip-hop CD I've gotten with the lyrics inserted: in the mood for a laugh? Check the lyrics to Nr9. My only regret is that I procrastinated too much before prchasing this CD - Don't make the same mistake!

It seems like most reviewers are fans of Portishead and Massive Attack, and find Hooverphonic close in style. To me that is totally wrong. Hooverphonic delivers in my opinion pure beautifull dreampop, with Liesje Sadonius angelvoice, and haunting very beutifull emotional music, and to me they are not even comparable to the other bands. The best track of the album is the fantastic Sarangi, where Liesje almost reaches the vocal beuty of God Mylene Farmer ( I have no idea why other reviewers dont like it, but I guess it could be because they are based in a wrong music style to realy enjoy Hooverphonics dreampopsound ) But also the very beutifull tracks Inhaler, Someone and Innervoice, makes this album a mark in musichistory. By the way if you like this album theck out the cd Repertoire from unknown danish band Luksus if you can find it, and of course also the second album from Hooverphonic. Eventhough it has a different not just as good singer in Geike Arnaert, it is still a brilliant album.

So you're probably wondering what compelled me to buy this, right? Well it would definitely be because of their amazing sophmore release, BLUE WONDER POWER MILK. That CD is one of the best albums in my very vast and very eclectic collection. It's one CD that hardly ever leaves the player. Now while their debut album, A NEW STEREOPHONIC SOUND SPECTACULAR may not be as good as their second recording it is still quite tasty for a first-time offering. This talented Belgian group definitely has the potential to make it big-time in the underground arena for their hypnotic blend of trip-hop and lounge-pop are quite arresting atop the soft, airy vocals of female singer Liesje Sadonius along with Raymond Geerts (guitar & breaths), Frank Duchene (engineering, keyboards), and Alex Callier (programming & keyboards). Some might actually compare Hooverphonic with Portishead (probably because of the vocals) but I think that that's preposterous. If anything they resemble Morcheeba the best for the culled sound textures that are absolutely dreamy.

Now I do recommend this album but I honestly feel that their sophmore release is a much better album to start with.

By the way, my favorite songs include the more electronic based Inhaler and Wardrobe along with Barabas (which sounds more like something you'd find on their second album just because of the instrumentation), Someone and Innervoice (which both remind me of Joydrop...)

Hope my review was somehow helpful... Bye!

Hooverphonic. Even the name of the band begs you to BUY THIS ALBUM. "A New Stereophonic Spectacular" is one of the most soothing, in-depth trip-hop albums of the 1990s.

As you probably know, the band is Belgian, as has switched female singers once. The singer on this album is Liesje Sadonius, whose voice takes you deep into another world (hence the "sound spectacular"). But the vocals aren't the only thing worth noting here.

LONGEST TRACK: Inhaler
SHORTEST TRACK: Nr 9

The album clocks in at only 47 minutes, leaving you wanting more at the end of "Innervoice". Unfortunately, there's no special bonus track editions available! That's okay though. Let's get on with the song descriptions.

Inhaler- Great way to kick off an album! It starts off with a pounding bass line that opens your ears wide for what's coming next: a rolling synth and out-of-this-world echoing guitar riff. And those lyrics... "Water falling down 100 meters/Colored by the sun/In rainbow colors..." Your first impression of Liesje's voice will leave you ready for more. 9.5/10

2Wicky- Weird name, cool track. An Isaac Hayes drum loop plays slowly, leaving the door open to lyrics that confuse, yet soothe. It drags on quite long, but is just bearable. The end of the song creates sort of a soundscape that moves. 8/10

Wardrope- My personal favorite track, which starts of with a LOUD bell that gives way to a spaced out guitar strum, before leading itself into a pounding drumbeat that sounds like the boom of a cannon. Provocative lyrics fill the loop: "Tell me where did you sleep last night..." The whole sound creates a sad, yet angry mood. Not too harsh, though. 10/10

Plus Profond- A track with no flaws whatsoever. It has a fast drum rate, a sound that will wow you, and relaxing, but fearful lyrics, "It enters your veins/It enters your soul..." 9/10

Barabas- What can I say? A trippy drumbeat with synth strings and strange lyrics make this not only a pretty song, but an attention-grabber. 8.5/10

Cinderella- The most instrumental track on the album, with old-movie-sounding flute samples and a slow, happy melody... and only 4 lines of love-related lyrics... yet not that intersesting. An intermission between acts, it seems. 7.5/10

Nr 9- Starting off with a grungy guitar riff and rough drumbeat, it pushes itself into a hearty, deep sound, and lyrics about a girl in the mirror, "...She had a stupid name..." This is an emotional track. 9/10

Sarangi- It starts off with staccato breaths that surround you. A heavy drumset kicks in, with slightly echoing bass and sitar lines filling the air. Leaves you speechless. 9.5/10

I don't care much for the rest of the tracks, with their light melodies; they all sound pretty much similar. That's what knocks this album down a star.

Someone, Revolver, Innervoice: 7/10
Final verdict: 9/10

I don't have all the personal history of this band, and with all the many interests I have in music, I don't have time to really delve into it. If Hooverphonic switched singers I wouldn't know it.

I can tell you what I do know, which is this: I have this album, Blue Wonder and The Magnificant...and by far this is the best of the three. BWPM has one of the male band members sing on some of the tracks, which splits the album ala Waldeck and simply detracts from what you want to listen to Hooverphonic for in the first place (which is airy, sweeping soundscapes that take you on an inner trip). TMT is a little underdeveloped and sounds almost poppish.

But this album nails it, hands down. The whole thing, from the very first track to the last soaring chorus is perfect trip-hop/electronica listening. It is hard to find new stuff to listen to in this vein of music, being as there are few (if any) venues to be able to listen to new stuff(for those of us on a budget) but this one belongs up there with the best (Estheros 'breath from another', PH's 'Dummy', Morcheeba's 'Big Calm') of the genre. The only other compliment that I can think to give to this album is this: there is no song worth skipping on this cd. You will want to hear it from one end to the other without touching the player once.

If you love new music, you owe it to yourself to check this one out.

On the strength of some of the 'people who bought ..., also bought' recommendations, I decided to buy this CD. The first song, Inhaler, blew me away. I love the beautifully distinct layering of instrumentation that builds and combines with the airy backgrounded vocals of Liesje. I really like the way the vocals are behind the instruments in this CD. I listen to 'Inhaler', 'Wardrope', and 'Plus Profound' the most but have been getting into the more subtle 'Nr 9' and 'Innervoice'. They strike me as being a kind of combination of Kate Bush, Sundays, and Orb/Orbital techno. I then went out and bought the other two Hooverphonic CDs as well. What a disappointment. Something happened when they changed vocalists. The music is still sort of there. It just doesn't seem to go anywhere after the initial intro. I don't care for the vocal stylings and they're too upfront. Of the later two, I'd say 'The Magnificent Tree' is the better, but I wouldn't recommend buying either.

As a point of reference, for techno/dance, I like just about anything from Orb and 808 State, a lot of Underworld and Orbital, and a little of Juno Reactor, Aphex Twin, and Future Sound of London. For jazz-like stuff, most of Thievery Corp and a little of St. Germain.

Happy listening!

I got this album back in the days, introducing triphop to me together with Massive Attack's "Mezzanine". This record immediately grabbed my attention with it's unnoticable submerging drums, hypnotical synthesizer/guitar (hardly can tell the difference), the dreamy atmosphere, and vocals which are dreamy-sweet, smoothly gliding over chord changes. It was exactly what I was looking for, and it didn't disappoint me at all. The years went by, and since triphop never really was my day-to-day music, "A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular" didn't visit my cd-player often. But when it did, I rediscovered the clever layers, the haunting hooks and the superb drums all over again, and I was absolutely stunned that the album was able to amaze me for the I-dont-know-how-many'd time.

The tracks are mostly in the same lane, yet differ enough to keep you interested. "Inhaler" is an amazing opener, a driving guitar welcomes you to the characteristic Hooverphonic sound, along with intense vocals. "Plus Plafond" has some of the most hypnotic drums around, "Nr 9" is as defined by contrast, and "Cinderella" also deserves a spot in the hall of fame. The overal quality of the tracks is sublime, while a reviewer before me does have a point: the latter 3 songs are of little lower quality, missing the darker tone that makes the lighter moments that more substantial and meaningful, something that seemed the foundation of the first 8 tracks.

The complete package contains a setting which is between the light daydreams, and the darkest nightmares (see "Mezzanine" for that), containing a dark element which is used intelligently, never takes over, and creates that extra inch of atmosphere. All in all this is definitly recommended for all the fans of dreamy hypnotical triphop, triphop in general, or perhaps even to all fans of good music.

This isn't a review, I just thought I'd attempt to clear up a thing or two;
The sample in "2Wicky" is from Isaac Hayes'"Walk on By",not from Joe Jackson.

There's been alot of discussion about whether or not Hooverphonic sounds like Portishead, as though that that would be a terrible thing, but I don't think Hooverphonic would feel too badly about it.
During a discussion with Alex before a show in Boston one night, he volenteerd that Portishead was the inspiration when writing the song "2Wicky".

Also revealed the use of the word "Prophet" in "the flight number of our galactic sun" just came from reading it off of a synthesizer, and "2Wicky" was just a cool way of spelling "tricky"(duh), which I was was actually too stupid to figure out on my own.
When asked where the name Hooverphonic(which I love)came from he simply said that it was "vacuum cleaner music", which kinda makes sense.

Hope you "found this review helpful".