Hooverphonic
THE MAGNIFICENT TREE
(Columbia)
Since 1997, the
Belgian trio Hooverphonic have released three albums, all built from the same
basic foundation of icy strings, fragile female vocals as forceful as a wintry
wind sweeping through a bare forest, and effect-laden guitars reverberating
through lethargic, almost labored, beats. Here the group branch out, bringing
more-pedestrian pop arrangements into their mix of trip-hop grooves and
bittersweet breakbeats. Singer Geike Arnaert, the group's second singer,
returns after her debut on 1998's Blue Wonder Power Milk, and her
ice-princess delivery is a perfect match for the cold soundscape and stuttered
samples of the opening "Autoharp." When her cool façade melts away, as
it does on torchy tracks like "Vinegar & Salt," her detachment evaporates,
and so does the effectiveness of her melodramatic theatrics. "Waves" brings
back the symphonic splendor of Blue Wonder, and "Jackie Cane" echoes the
reverb-laden James Bond fantasy of that album's "Club Montepulciano." But "Mad
About You" sounds like a generic Sneaker Pimps or Mono knockoff, and "Frosted
Flake Wood," which comes off like an outtake from a bad modern retelling of
Peter and the Wolf, is a poor attempt to re-create the creeping
nocturnal orchestrations Björk has favored of late.
-- Tony Ware
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