Deciphering Blue Wonder Power Milk from Hooverphonic
Written: Apr 23 '02 (Updated Apr 23 '02)
Product Rating:
Pros: Club Monterpulciano, Magenta, Eden, and Lung
Cons: One Way Ride (among others)
The Bottom Line: At times upbeat, shining, and impressive, Hooverphonic can be a great addition to any collection. What hurts the band is it's lack of creativity and cohesiveness.
lambchops's Full Review: Blue Wonder Power Milk by Hooverphonic
I wasn’t expecting anything whatsoever when I purchased Hooverphonic’s 1998 Sony release Blue Wonder Power Milk. In fact, to this day it remains a mystery as to why I bought the CD in the first place.
Hooverphonic falls into the same large, nondescript category known as ambient pop. But, the Brussels-based band mixes in just enough rock/alternative to make it more accessible than some other similar yet edgier acts. Formed in 1995, the band first appeared on the soundtrack to the Liv Tyler/Bernardo Bertolucci film Stealing Beauty. In 1997, Hooverphonic released their debut A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular. Featuring 2 Wicky (their contribution to the Stealing Beauty soundtrack), the album made a minor splash and ended up a modest hit.
Lead voice Liesje Sadonius parted ways with the band following the release of their debut. Fellow collaborators Alex Callier (guitar), Raymond (guitar), and Frank Duchêne (keyboard) sought the talent of Geike Arnaert to provide a voice to Hooverphonic. The resulting album was the slightly more impressive sophomore album Blue Wonder Power Milk.
Blue Wonder Power Milk contains thirteen tracks. Almost entirely written by Callier, the album is rather slow to gain momentum. While some of the early tracks like Battersea, Club Monterpulciano and Lung are impressive the album isn’t totally realized until later on tracks like Magenta. Throughout the album, Hooverphonic can be characterized in many ways. First and foremost, the band is ambient pop. But, throw in some electronica, drum and bass, and trip hop and the resulting sound can at times be complex an unyielding and at others seem trite and clichéd.
Most appealing of the offerings is probably Club Monterpulciano, a song that garnered a bit of attention while on rotation on college radio stateside. The track is very appealing with light melodies mixed with electronic noise and Arnaert’s inherently tender voice. The beat is heavy, yet at the heart this is a beautiful song. It’s impossible to imagine it not being of some interest to people already acquainted with similar (and more popular) acts.
While some people get great joy out of the album opener, Battersea I find it’s breathiness and lack of drive somewhat annoying and overall under whelming. Both Eden and Lung prove charming for the same reason. Eden is trippy with a driving rhythm, French horn, and Arnaert sounding sad and lonely with her breathy vocals. Lung, one of the more popular track on the album, is of a faster tempo and feels groovier than most of the other offerings. But, I still find myself drawn to the beat and the voice.
Magenta is purely fun. It sounds at times like an ambient sound effect from the Blade Runner soundtrack. Yet, at the same time it’s one of the best examples of trip hop done right on Blue Wonder Power Milk. The major focus of the song is on the electronic rather than the melodic. The drum machines, synthesizers, stringed instruments and overall feeling are impressively alluring while Arnaert’s voice is used as though it’s an instrument rather than something to be backed by instruments. Absolutely lovely; absolutely brilliant.
Aside from the tracks I’ve mentioned briefly, there are some other high points. Both Renaissance Affair and Tuna are emotional and enchanting at the same time that they are driving and uneasy. But, they don’t really draw me as notably as some of the others. Other tracks like the horrible, annoying, keyboard-ridden One Way Ride really should have been left off. It’s not representative of Hooverphonic and does more damage on the album than good.
Hooverphonic is an acquired taste. At times on Blue Wonder Power Milk the band sounds clear, concise, and artistic. At other times it just seems as though they are trying in vain to be somebody else. This is supposed to be the best album from the band, yet I find myself completely unimpressed as a whole. As I’ve already mentioned there are good parts…most notably Club Monterpulciano. But, the mediocrity really hurts the overall presence of the album. Since the large majority of these tracks are lackluster and unimpressive I music give the album 3/5 stars. I do however recommend it in it’s entirety to listeners who may enjoy other similar acts like Stereolab, Everything But The Girl, etc.
Track Listing:
1. Battersea
2. One Way Ride
3. Dictionary
4. Club Monterpulciano
5. Eden
6. Lung
7. Electro Shock Faders
8. Out Of Tune
9. This Strange Effect
10. Renaissance Affair
11. Tuna
12. Magenta
13. Neon
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Since the release of Blue Wonder Power Milk in 1997, Hooverphonic released a third album. The Magnificent Tree (2000) did very little to further impress fans and critics.
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