Search - Hooverphonic :: Hooverphonic: No More Sweet Music

They're Back...

Danny Kim | Hollywood, CA | 12/10/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"And by "back", I mean the creative genius behind "A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular" sound is raging for all to hear. Several years ago, I wrote a scathing review of "The Magnificent Tree", which was a very odd direction for Hooverphonic. The lounge singer-like vocals from Geike Annart were a departure from the halcyon style that originated with Liesje Sadonius. You could hear the beginnings of the band's transformation with their second album.



Whatever chip that had malfunctioned in Alex Callier's head has been fixed. Their sound is much more contemporary and not trying so hard to emulate various styles. The first disc is a bit more like the Magnificent Tree: sultry, orchestral, slow and deliberate. The big difference is that it doesn't sound so kitschy and constrained by the predictable organic palette of instruments on Magnificent Tree.



A few gems on Disc One:

Dirty Lenses has a nice driving feel with a full sound. It reminds me of Lung on "Blue Wonder Power Milk" with Battersea's wide open ambient synths.



You Hurt Me has a pretty neat driving beat and piano/harpsichord accompaniment. It almost sounds like Fiona Apple singing, but the instrumentals are much more rich.



Music Box is a nice relaxed progression and is overall, a pleasant and cool song.



My Child is a very cool song. The analog synths are fat and wide. A nice glissando on the synth makes it pretty disjointed.



Ginger is a nice way to close out the album.



As for Disc Two, it's a completely different production. And I have to say that I like this "album" much better. A lot more creativity involved with each track. There is more effects processing and the instrumentals are allowed to breath.



One thing's for sure, with two very distinct discs: Disc One being radio-friendly for the masses and Disc Two for the cool electronic/downtempo crowd, Hooverphonic will be able to please much more people this time around. Welcome back to my music library."

Almost speechless

Skyler Bartels | Des Moines, IA USA | 12/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a fan of Hooverphonic since the first time I heard "Battersea" back when I was in high school. From that point on, it has been a steady progression of purchases so that I might complete their collection. With this album, (imported early!) I have now finished their current musical career. But is it as good?



This version of the album (Dual Disc) is very interesting indeed. It was known a long time in advance that they would be doing a sort of "double album" in which they would have the standard Hooverphonic-style music and another version, a sort of remixed version of the album. Let me start by saying that the samples found on the official website do not do these songs justice!



The passion, tone, and sometimes fury of the tone and lyrics on these songs is fantastic! "You Love Me To Death," "You Hurt Me," "No More Sweet Music," "Wake Up," and "Ginger" are fantastic tracks with great vocals provided by Hooverphonic's beautiful Geike Arnaert, who is never off. Once she starts singing, this album really takes off and doesn't end until its over!



The remix version offers some fun and different takes to the normal songs. While some of them are rather uninteresting (i.e. "We All Float"), some offer very different and almost better styles (i.e. "Heartbeat").



Then you have the DVD features. The DVD sound quality of the album (each DVD side has the entire album in DVD format) is fantastic. I listen to that more than the standard one! Then you have the music videos which are nice but the differences between the normal and remixed versions are too few to make watching them all at the same time something of value.



Then you have the short documentary which is fantastic! Seeing and learning about how these guys work on their stuff is great. Learning about them, about the songs, and just seeing them do something aside from sing and play music is a real treat.



Is all of the bonus stuff worth the extra money? I wouldn't say so unless, like me, you're a huge fan of the group. If you are, I wouldn't tell you to get anything but this one. Remember, though, that Dual Discs are thicker and heavier than normal CDs/DVDs, so watch out what you put it in!



Overall, I'm still sinking into this album (weeks later) but I'm fairly sure that if it isn't the best, it is at least my favorite.



But this purchase is NOT for first-time listeners. Try "Blue Wonder Power Milk" or "Magnificent Tree", first!"

Breathtaking Audio Experience!

B. Shigenaka | Seattle, WA United States | 02/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have always been a fan of Hooverphonic, but have enjoyed their music less and less with each release. I wasn't happy with their move away from the trip-hop electronica they started with, but have found mild enjoyment in their following albums nonetheless. With No More Sweet Music, a release I took a chance on by purchasing the $50 dual-disc import, my love for Hooverphonic has returned.



In this age of internet music stores, I'm sure I'm not alone in my shift to purchasing fewer and fewer actual CDs... why bother buying the CD when all I'm going to do is rip it to an iPod? iTunes has been a great convenience in this aspect. As a result, the growth of my CD collection has all but ground to a halt, despite my longing for the tactile experience of holding the CD in my hands and paging through the lyrics booklet.



However, if we were all very, very lucky, this Hooverphonic disc could be at the head of a line of many such releases. No More Sweet Music could not be a greater gift to a music lover - not one, but TWO albums of music, one being a remix of the other. In addition, each of the two albums in 5.1 surround on DVD. And to top it off, four music videos and a making-of documentary. A complete audio experience, and an absolute dream for any Hooverphonic fan.



Even more importantly, a must for any audiophile, fan of Hooverphonic or not. The music on this album is very accessible, and beyond that, ABSOLUTELY JAW-DROPPING in 5.1 surround. I have demoed the music for a wide variety of people, none of which were Hooverphonic fans before listening to this album, and all have expressed awe at the experience. Hooverphonic created this album with this experience in mind, and it's obvious. Songs like "We All Float" are pleasant enough when heard on a CD, but literally wrap around you when heard on a proper 5.1 setup. I heard one of the tracks on my iPod while commuting the other day, and found myself longing to be at home in front of the DVD player to hear it all around me.



While SACD failed to take off and is not compatible with every DVD player, the tracks on this disc should be playable on any DVD player, as it is recorded as a standard DVD movie. While the tracks play, a photo image appears on the TV, so as not to distract with moving video. I believe the details on the Amazon listing state that you need an all-region player to listen to the DVD audio, but I have an XBOX 360 with a Region 1 DVD player inside and it played without a problem. I could not offer up a single complaint about the entire experience, except to say that it has raised my expectations of new music to an almost unrealistic level.



I could not recommend it more. If you have a proper 5.1 setup and are a fan of audio, the $50 spent on this dual-disc release could not be better spent. An instant addition to any must-have list."