Customer Reviews

Passive Agressive

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Three different yet distinct styles of music, and amazingly Nicola Hitchcock perfects them all. From her folky freshman album A Bowl of Chalk, to her deeply lyrically charged days with Mandalay, to her ice piercing downtempo collaberations on Passive Aggressive, Nicola is truly one of the most talented artists out there today.
Passive Aggressive will certainly exceed your expectations. Nicola is always at her best, and I've never encountered an artist that has done this. Most get better and better, however, Nicola has been consistently amazing since her debut album. If you are any bit of a fan of trippy downtempo, run to the store to get this lush, rich, chilling album. If you are a fan of Mandalay and have your doubts, let me alleviate them right now. Get this CD.
Also, I have had the pleasure of conversing with Nicola over email. She is extremely humble and true to anyone who supports her music. It is awesome that she makes herself so accessible to her fans. [...] you won't be disappointed.

As I was picking up my boyfriend's best friend (he needed a ride home from work), I played my first favorite track, "All or Nothing," from Nicola's new CD, "Passive Aggressive." As soon as he got into the car, he said "Wow, this is the type of music you listen to when you want to feel sexy and romanticize someone." Typical, I thought, he's trying to break that long time rule of leaving your best friend's man alone...que sera...but then I realized how I felt when I first heard Mandalay (Nicola's former music front). I felt more liquid inside...I felt a flow, an essence that was being tapped and sung to.

So, I turned to my friend and said "Oh, that's Nicola...but you really think it's sexy? I've always found a rather melancholy sound to it." And I still do feel that way...but I can see where he's coming from now. Nicola's music, Mandalay or not, strips you down...raw.

When I first heard Morning on Hector Zazou's "Strong Currents," I nearly hurdled over in a fetal position. It's that much. And thankfully, people can get a listen to it here on "Passive Aggressive." Though now, the song intermixed with its brother and sister songs gives it a much warmer welcome (I think it's truly one of the saddest songs out there...but beautifully sad).

This album is wonderful because we get to hear Nicola in new lights (she worked with several different musicians on "Passive Aggressive")...yet that one of kind sound is still there...Nicola's voice and creative direction.

As my friend Brion, the one who intitially introduced me to Mandalay, once said, "This is the type of album that you need to drop everything and go to the record store to get. No, I mean it...RUN."

It is a real travesty when stuff like Crazy Frog manages to get to Number 1 on the UK charts, whereas artists like Nicola here are often completely overlooked. For me Nicola has been one of the most interesting vocalists/musicians around for a long time in this country, and this cd is further testimony to her wonderful talent.

I had very high hopes for this cd: Nicola's work with Saul Freeman in Mandalay produced, for me, some of the most magical music I had ever heard. Because of this, one could imagine my shock when I listened to this cd and realised it had actually surpassed the hopes I held for it.
I must admit, when I first listened to it I had my reservations: I thought that maybe it was a bit too eclectic. But, now, that's what I love about this cd. Whereas with Mandalay you listened to it and fell in love with it straight away, this cd has a way of creeping up on you: the more you listen to it the more you start to enjoy it, until it almost becomes a part of you.

The music on this cd is more sparse than that on Mandalay, with Nicola often only singing over the echoes of some chords on a piano (as in 'Heart'), or indeed over nothing at all (as in 'Morning'), allowing for her extraordinary voice to shine through and making the cd even more haunting. This is perhaps most striking (especially if you have never heard Nicola's voice before) in first song 'You Will Feel Like This' where the build up of the piano and the strings suddendly cuts out to allow the full effect of Nicola's voice to come through. This often sparing use of the backing music also means that when the music does build up into the exuberant layers that we were used to in Mandalay, it hits you with full force: such as in 'I Forgive Me' or the stunning 'Feel'.
Mandalay fans will also be pleased to know that, whilst this cd does significantly distance itself from Mandalay, it does take the best bits of that band along with it, such as the luscious soundscape effects we all know and love.

So basically, if you like Mandalay I can guarantee you this cd will not disappoint. In fact, I can only think of one criticism for the entire cd and that is in the song 'I forgive me' which, whilst being a fantastic song in its own right and also displaying Nicola's versatility as an artist, I feel slightly upsets the overall tone of the album

Now for those of you have never heard Mandalay, or Nicola's voice before: how to describe this cd? 'Downbeat electronica with ethereal vocals'? 'Dreamy trip-hop'? 'Pop music for mature listeners'? Either way, it most likely won't be like anything you've heard before. Even though I hate doing this, especially with an artist as unique as Nicola, sometimes the best way to describe an artist to someone who has never heard them before is to compare them to others. So: imagine a vocalist with a voice that sounds like a cross between The Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Frasier and Portishead's Beth Gibbons singing over music that sounds like a cross between Dido's and Bjork's, and, well... you'd be almost there. Still, you need to hear it for real before you truly know what listening experience you're in for.

In conclusion, unless you only limit you're listening to death metal or punk rock or something along those lines, I can pretty much guarantee that you'll enjoy this cd. [...]

Nicola Hitchcock's voice is an indescribable force: it has a raw emotion, a terribly touching melancholy, a sweetness of pure beauty, a miraculous grace. I could use thousands of expressions to describe what I feel when I listen to her voice, and yet, you could never apprehend what it means.

I discovered her six years ago, when I first listened to her song "This Life". There was something primal and emotive in this song, a quality that could both affect you and inspire you. A year later, listening to a Cafe del Mar compilation, I found a song called "Beautiful"; amused and amazed, I realized it was the same person singing, so I decided to learn who she was.

I bought two Mandalay albums, and they moved me and seduced me in a way I cannot explain. Since then, they have been one of my favourite bands, and Nicola's voice has become a sort of shelter for me. The place I go back when the whole world seems to tumble down.

Passive Aggressive is no different. From the moment you hear the birds sing in the first seconds of "You will feel like this", you understand the album will lead you to a sacred place of no pain and no sorrow. It works as a prophecy. "All or Nothing" is a delicate song, combining the warmth of electronic beats, and the towering presence of classical instruments. I can't help but smile every time I listen to "Moving to a New Space", the perfect soundtrack for a new day, where all suffering seems to be gone. It is the promise of a new morning.

There's a naked coldness about such a personal and private song as "Heart", where a lover surrenders to love; if you don't feel moved by this song, then you don't feel at all. "Forgive me" is an electronic ode to self-forgiveness, a song about getting at peace with yourself, and your mistakes. Drums and trumpets arrive like a new day in "Cloudy skies and Rain", digging deeper in the dance mood suggested by the previous song. It seems to me, "Feel" sounds like a Mandalay song; with its violins, its guitars, and the tender words of Nicola, it is an adorable song. "Ordinary day" has a Machiavellian, contagious taste, and a quiet moment of bliss.

"Surrender" is a slow composition with profound lyrics and a sensual, smooth saxophone. If a mere song could transmit both fragility and intrigue, that would be "Because". The album closes with a very intimate song, "Morning", composed by Hector Zazou. The piano and violin here have a soothing, deeply emotive quality: another gem.

This is an album of collaborations between the talents of several composers and musicians, and the sparkling beauty of Nicola's voice and lyrics. It is an album of love, forgiveness, and purity. It is an album to fall in love with.

i eagerly awaited the release of this album and could feel again the calm that only nicola hitchcock's voice can bring. she is an essential part of any person's record collection. her lyrics and resonance quitely assault, leading the way to delicate aspects of self, you become hostage to the melody. painfully beautiful. you will not be disappointed. i highly recommend this album and any previous work with mandalay. my two favourite tracks on this album are heart and morning. both of these songs are like the spell that comes across a flower when its petals are opening for the sun. vital.

STYLE
Smooth strings, wistful pianos, sparse, languid beats and Nicola's incredible, breathy, feather-light vocals. This is a classy album of subtle instrumentation sensitively lit up with passionate lyrics, always delivered with intimate intensity. Programming takes a back seat to musical performance on Passive Aggressive where the electronics sound very contemporary and prominent basses thicken the penetrating sense of gravity. Trip hop beats give way in places to dance grooves and are absent entirely on the final track 'Morning' - but throughout, our attention is held appropriately by this unique voice wavering and whispering - analysing, confiding releasing.
MOOD
Plaintive, melancholy and full of feeling; Nicola's songs have an honesty that you can feel in her voice even before you hear it in the words. The singing here is soft, close up, often little more than a whisper. The uncluttered arrangements on this CD add to the mood, at times just drums, bass and minimal pianos or electronica. The more intense musical structure of 'I Forgive Me' combines with sweet vocals to create a sense of brooding, a weight that carries over into the following track 'Cloudy Skies and Rain' where the drums are stronger and looser than most of the album. There is a beautiful surreal quality to the final piano and strings track 'Morning' where Ryuichi Sakomoto's composition is enhanced by Hector Zazou's strings
ARTWORK
Black, glossy, sleek and elegant - a portrait of the artist hangs in the darkness of the front cover and again behind the CD itself like another little secret waiting to be shared. Lettering throughout the package is in a curling white brush-script ... the only colour anywhere is red, used to pick out individual words - one from each song, the website address and 'aggressive' in the title. The whole affair feels very polished and highly professional.
OVERALL 
This CD is first and foremost a collection of beautiful songs, as one would expect from an accomplished singer/songwriter. Nicola's former band Mandalay split in early 2002 allowing her to work as a solo artist. On Passive Aggressive, we find her collaborating with a variety of talented artists who provide the musical structures from which Nicola suspends her candid poetic musings. Collaboration with Sounds From The Ground produced two songs "Moving Into A New Space" and "I Forgive Me" the latter being a song previously written by Nicola and reworked by the band "transforming a small intimate song into a mega dance track". Producer/DJ Lenny Ibizarre, Echo, Michael J. Ade and Chris Brann all lend their talents to the album along with Hector Zazou who soundscaped "Surrender" and introduced Ryuichi Sakomoto's piano piece which, Nicola says "brought the vocal and lyric for "Morning" from me in one take", with Hector adding strings later.
WHO WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM
If you enjoy songs brimming with feeling and delivered with conviction - accompanied by sympathetic, uncluttered trip-hop influenced music ... Passive Aggressive will stand out in your collection. Mandaly fans will certainly not be disappointed - but this CD is quite a step forward.

morpheusmusic.co.uk

I was first introduced to Nicola Hitchcock's amazing voice when a friend let me listen to her copy of Solace, the U.S. album she did when she was still with Mandalay. After hearing that she released a solo album, I immediately rushed to my closest Barnes and Noble (the only retailer that carries the CD) and bought it. I recommend you do the same. Make sure you get the one with the bonus track of "I Forgive Me (Acoustic)", it's amazing and I like it better than the original version. The CD is all-around great; it has a different sound than the stuff she did with Saul Freeman, which is still amazing work. Some of the tracks remind me of Emiliana Torrini's "Fisherman's Woman" album, but that isn't a bad thing. If you love Mandalay, you're going to love Nicola Hitchcock's "Passive Aggressive".

I loved Mandalay, the songs were suburb, powerful emotionally with beautiful arrangements. I was sad when they split in 2002. Since then I have heard several of Nicola's collaborations (some sounded very nice, others were much different then what I was used to from Mandalay). Now putting them all together on one CD is a different kind of collection then a mere solo offering. More instrumentation fills passive agressive, yet it works on many levels especially the opening track "You Will Feel Like This" which I liked since the first time hearing it on the website. Some of the songs dont work for me as well, and honestly this material does not quite measure up to Mandalay. But then again it is not Mandalay, these are simply fine efforts and collaborations between different artists and Nicola. Still, a fine collection and as I hear it Nicola is working on her ACTUAL solo release which will be made all for the intention of her next CD. I look forward to that very much, but in the meantime Passive Agressive fills the void quite well. Just listening to the beautiful voice and smooth style of (electronica/trip hop/instrumental) sets a nice mood. And 3 years was a long time to wait since the final Mandalay release. Let's hope it will not take quite so long for the next one.

"Passive Agressive"

This extraordinary CD, "Passive Agressive" can be deceptive at first. Upon first listening depending where you are and what you are doing, it just seems to fit the mood.
I first listened to it alone and in a quiet environment and it seemed to be that sort of CD. One to experience at home.
Let me explain:
My first go round was at home laying on the couch at night...the CD begins with "You Will Feel Like This" and instantly you are taken by Nicola's ethereal delivery and the music just seems to flow from the speakers in a swirling lush soundscape of melody. As the cd progresses you realize that there is no need to have the remote in hand, as every song is equally matched to the next... I love a CD where every song can easily be your favorite depending on the day...this is one of those CD's.
The second listen came about when I had to leave the next night for Austin from Houston. I put in "Passive Agressive" and turned up the volume just enough to hear the music but not so loud that i couldnt hear the wind outside. Once again, the music "fit".
It seemed during songs like "Heart" that the traffic of cars were doing a ballet of turns and movement to the music...honestly it was just beautiful. As my drive continued I found myself wanting to go back and relisten to each song to not only help fill up my 2 1/2 hour drive but to just have those moments recaptured.
The song "Because" seemed to propel my car forward on its journey and that song became my official road trip song listening to it more than a handful of times in a row.
The third time I listend to "Passive Agressive" it was sunny and incredible weather and went with a friend for a drive through the hills of Wimberly Texas. With the windows down and the breeze blowing in, Nicola's voice seemed to make everything even brighter...the landscape passing by seemed more rich, more peaceful at times and more exciting at times like during "I Forgive Me" which made you want to put your arm out of the car like when you were little and catch the wind in your hand. The final track came on and as we were coasting through the hills...to our left was a train moving along the side of us and with the help of Nicola's music it seemed like a scene from a sweeping and epic film...just breathtaking and simply beautiful...
like Nicola, her music and this CD.
If you have it, give it a re-listen and see how the music can fit any situation and in turn make it more memorable and then spread the word to everyone you know.
If you dont have it purchase it today...

Thank you and enjoy!

I have been wanting to purchase this album for some time, as I loved the last Mandalay album. But it was another one of those frustrating cases of British and Canadian artists not being released stateside or having a long-delayed release. (See also: Beth Gibbons, David Usher, and Ian Brown, to name a few off the top of my head.) But to my delight, I realized today that "Passive Aggressive" is available on iTunes for $9.99. I'm not exactly sure why there is a domestic release digitally but not in CD form, but I found it interesting. Amazon might want to look into maybe obtaining this album as a digital release, if possible.