Customer Reviews

No More Sweet Music (Hk) (Rmxs)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"No More Sweet Music" is actually two albums - the aforementioned title and also a second disc entitled "More Sweet Music". Each of them contain the same 11 songs - by name and lyrics only. I've never heard an album like this before. I gave up deciding which disc is the primary disc. One disc is not comprised of dubbed versions, live versions, outtakes or anything else one could categorize.

Both albums present each song in a very different way. There is no discernable pattern - for instance, songs on one disc are not of a certain genre (trip hop, electronica, etc)..again each disc presents 11 songs, each completely different from the same title on the other disc. Amazing.

That said, the songs themselves are outstanding. I rank this album with Hooverphonics' finest efforts to date. Standout tracks are the title track, "We All Float", "You Love Me to Death", "Dirty Lenses" and the very radio-friendly "You Hurt Me".

Not only is this album a double treat, it is a challenge as well. In no way do I mean this album is inaccessible - it is, very much so. It is a challenge in that you have to get used to hearing two superb but absolutely different versions of the same song. A sensational idea and executed perfectly - an incredibly inspired and innovative feat. Superbly euphoric and dreamy from beginning to end. Highly recommended and well worth the money.

While a lot of people dislike the direction Hooverphonic went after their debut, I happen to love it (for the most part). I loved A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular, but I've also loved every subsequent album. The one problem that I have had with all their albums (aside from the first) is that there are always a couple tracks that are SO odd and experimental that even I had trouble with them (such as the last three tracks on Presents Jackie Cane, which was otherwise my former favorite Hoover album). That is not the case with No More Sweet Music. They've ditched the over-the-top showtuney experiments in favor of a more cohesive and overall pleasant listening experience. There are enough chill tracks to please fans of their older stuff and enough poppy, flamboyant tracks to please fans of their more recent stuff.

I initially didn't like the idea of two versions of the same album because I expected one to be significantly better and the other to be mostly throw-aways. That is not the case at all, though! Both versions are incredible and I listen to them equally. I'd say the general sound is a combination of all previous albums. There's also an Asian flair among some of the tracks that adds to the cool vibe. More Sweet Music is more organic/loungy while NO More Sweet Music is more electronic/trip-hoppy. If I had to choose, I think I like More Sweet Music just slightly more - mostly because I like its version of "We All Float" much more and its version of the title track is probably my favorite Hoover song ever. Seriously, I'm obsessed with it. My least favorite track is "Music Box" from More Sweet Music. The music and the verses are cool, but the chorus is a bit off-key and just doesn't work for me.

Overall, this is another masterpiece (actually two masterpieces) by one of my favorite (and most underrated) bands. I can't stop playing these discs. This will definitely be one of 2006's best.

Basically, five stars for the album itself, and one star for the prices I see for it on different sites. Luckily, I found this for less than half of the price listed here, but on to the album. I have been a HUGE Hoover fan since the first album, and I have found them to be veering away from the mysterious and unique blend of trip-pop that they forged on those albums, moving into something almost show-tuney with their last, "Presents Jackie Cane". Musically, this is a gorgeous selection of songs, the kind of music that only this band can write. Electronica mixed with muted guitars and orchestral maneuvers, and featuring the sublime and sweet vocals of singer Geike. While several of the songs on the "No more sweet music" disc exactly mirror their "More sweet music" counterparts, several have enough of a distinction to make them unique and different listening experiences alongside each other. So, I basically listen to the first disc (MSM) in its entirety, and then play about six songs from disc two (NMSM) to follow. Makes for about a 65 minute album that way. Why this band continues to be released by SONY only outside of the U.S. is a mystery, as I know they have a large fanbase here. I think this album, though, may be the one to put them back in the "mainstream" where they belong. Perhaps a tour of the States might then be in the offing!!

I made a "best of" Hoover CD a few yrs ago and everyone I pass it along to just falls in love with this band. This latest release, though it looks like it's a long way off from being out in the USA (I recommend buying it used), just keeps the magic rolling. It is smooth, fun to listen to, with great hooks, great beats, wonderful vocals. The "A" version of the title track is the coolest song I have heard in years, there is not a single weak track on either disc ("heartbeat" maybe - that one's not a keeper). I am very happy with this CD, its been playing at my house practically every night since I got it. Highest recommendation.

I really, really enjoy this CD. I think this has to be their best album since "stereophonic" and is their "sweetest" music yet. I really do like all of their other albums also (with Jackie Cane being my least favorite), but this one really stands out to me as being extremely well crafted. And the fact that it includes an additional disc with remixes of every song really expands the value and the listening experience.

The band is changing and this is clearly shows through thier latest album - it is nothing like their first releases. If you enjoyed the original Hooverphonic, you will probably be dissapointed, as you will find "No more sweet music" too commercial, almost pop. On the other hand, if you have more traditional tastes, you will probably like this release as it offers a few catchy melodies, more sophisticated sound and a good beat here and there. One item I must agree with another reviewer - the main singer's vocals are somewhat mediocre.

Excellent cd. Contains two disks with different versions. The work presented in this band albums pleases many tastes and styles. congratulations.

I bought this for one song, but it proved to be and interesting project...2CD's of the same songs done twice...Once in the way the artist intended...the other , sort of a disco, house music type....Worth every dime

Great album....maybe not my favorite Hooverphonic spin (that would be Jackie Cane) but the one that reminds me most why I enjoy the band. It is so utterly refreshing to hear in a pop band the echoes not of the Beatles, but the Stones, particularly the Satanic Majesties Stones, or the Sticky Fingers Stones. And not because Hoover plays the crypto-psychedelic or heroin.country game, but because it is pop that walks the dark side of the street. This was the utter failure of the Beatles, with their music's dearth of the dark narrative power that came out of the blues, which the Stones used so ably. The Beatles music told stories too, but seldom moved beyond the clever or the flip. Hooverphonic's music evokes something more, something more of the late night than the afternoon, and more than the shiny flash of most techno-ish bands. Substantive music.

Sit back and dig the title tune.

This is Hooverphonic's most controversial entry into their catalog. Many long time fans hate this album while new fans of the band loved it and many more old fans liked it as well. This marks a departure for Hooverphonic from their original, signature sound and into a more radio-friendly pop sound. There are bits of hip-hop weaved into their usual atmospheric trip-hop. Not a completely radical departure, but still a noticeable difference towards radio territory. These kinds of changes in a group's sound always alienate fans of a more unique sound such as the one that made Hooverphonic famous. To be fair, their sound has evolved on every release, and on here we find them at their most Middle-of-the Road.

Old fans are understandably shaken and stirred by the sound of this album but guess what? It's quite good. If this had been their first album, it wouldn't have attracted the audience that has given them cult status. Instead, it is an album that is not representative of the band as a whole but still is interwoven with their more experimental sound seamlessly with the new sound. Biased fans seem to miss that and dismiss the album as a whole. This is my favorite album of theirs, but their best is Blue Wonder Power Milk. That one is more varied and realized. This one is more instantly accessible. Old fans will like this one if they give it a chance. New fans will be disappointed slightly if they start here and work their way through the rest of the catalog because the rest of the catalog will sound different to them and they will already love the sound of this one.

Another unique feature of this album is that there are 2 cd's and the second one is filled with second versions of the songs with identical titles,lyrics and melodies but different arrangements. This means that some versions of some songs are better on one cd than the other. For example, You Hurt Me is a danceable number on the first cd, while on the second cd it becomes a Maroon 5-influenced dance-rock song. Still, both cd's are listenable all the way through with few exceptions. cd 2 seems to be a bit more danceable and commercial.

Solution: Listen with an open mind and you will love this. Then listen to their other albums with an open mind and you will love them as well.
Highlights:

CD1
We All Float
You Hurt Me
No More Sweet Music
Tommorrow
Dirty Lenses
Wake Up
Ginger

CD2
You Love Me To Death
Tommorrow
Dirty Lenses
Wake Up
My Child