Hooverphonic
Hooverphonic |
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Hooverphonic is a Belgian rock/pop group from Flanders, formed in 1995. Though early on categorized as a trip hop group, they quickly expanded their sound to the point where they could no longer be pigeonholed into one genre. The band originally called themselves Hoover, but later changed their name to Hooverphonic after discovering other groups were already using the Hoover name.
A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular
The original members of the group were vocalist Liesje Sadonius, keyboardist Frank Duchêne, bass guitarist and programmer Alex Callier, and guitarist Raymond Geerts. The band achieved international recognition through the inclusion of the track "2Wicky" (from A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular) on the soundtrack to Bernardo Bertolucci's 1996 film Stealing Beauty. "2Wicky" also appeared on the soundtrack of I Know What You Did Last Summer. The track's melody is heavily sampled from the 1960s hit Walk on By.
Sadonius left Hooverphonic on amicable terms shortly after the release of A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular. Kyoko Baertsoen, singer for fellow Belgian trip-hop band Lunascape, filled in for Sadonius for a European tour in 1997 before Geike Arnaert was made the permanent singer in early 1998.
Blue Wonder Power Milk
After an extensive European tour with artists such as Massive Attack, Morcheeba and Apollo 440, and a tour opening for Fiona Apple in the United States in 1997, the band released Blue Wonder Power Milk in 1998 with 18-year-old Arnaert on vocals. A marked departure from their debut, the album is driven less by breakbeats and samples and more by organic string elements and traditional song structures.
The single "Club Montepulciano" was a hit in native Belgium and a minor college hit in the U.S.; "Renaissance Affair" was featured in the North American commercial campaign for the new Volkswagen Vapor Beetle. "This Strange Effect" was featured in an American cell phone commercial for the Motorola SLVR. "Eden" was featured in an American cell phone commercial for the Cingular 8525 in 2006, showing a continued popularity.
The Magnificent Tree
The band followed up Blue Wonder Power Milk with 2000's The Magnificent Tree, which expands on the sound of Milk with a warmer, more approachable sound. Highlights from the album are the string-laden "Out Of Sight", "Mad About You" (a big hit all over the world), and the title track, which borrows heavily from Crosby Stills and Nash's "Guinnevere".
The same year, Hooverphonic was asked to write a song specifically for the opening ceremony of the 2000 European Football Championship, which took place in Brussels, Belgium. The result - a 12-minute long track called "Visions" - became the theme song of the championship, and Hooverphonic's performance at the opening ceremony was heard/seen by more than 1 billion people.
On the heels of Tree's success, the band became the first Belgian outfit to headline one of the largest and most successful European musical festivals, Rock Werchter, in 2001.
Jackie Cane
2002 saw the group shifting gears again, this time releasing the concept album Hooverphonic Presents Jackie Cane. The album tells the story of the fictional title character, a celebrity and singer catapulted into stardom at the expense of her relationship with her twin sister. Driven to the brink of insanity by the pressures of fame, Jackie quits show business and returns home to attempt reconciliation, where her sister poisons them both with a last supper.
Jackie Cane retains the dreamy elements of Hooverphonic's previous works, most notably on songs "Nirvana Blue" and "Human Interest" (which contains references to "Echoes" by Pink Floyd), but tracks like "The World Is Mine" (the first single) and "Day After Day" have a clear Broadway influence and quality to them. The album went platinum in Belgium and won the group ZAMU's Best Pop/Rock Band and Best Album awards in 2002.
Also in 2003, their song "The World Is Mine" was used as the theme of the Sky One TV show Mile High.
Sit Down and Listen to Hooverphonic
In 2003, the band released a live (i.e. recorded live with an orchestra but without any audience) album entitled Sit Down and Listen to Hooverphonic, featuring a selection of songs from the band's body of work, as well as the new songs "Antarctica" and "The Last Thing I Need Is You", and a cover of Lee Hazlewood's "My Autumn's Done Come". The band launched into an extended European tour in September of 2003, performing in over 100 concert halls.
No More Sweet Music
The band's fifth studio album, a double CD entitled No More Sweet Music/More Sweet Music, was released in December 2005.
Singles '96-'06
In 2006 the band left Sony/BMG, complaining of lack of label support for No More Sweet Music. A best-of (Singles '96 - '06) was released to end the relation with Sony/BMG. The band is going to work now without a label.
2007/2008 Album
Hooverphonic is reported to be preparing the release of their new, as-yet-untitled studio album.
The release is planned for Belgium in mid-2007 and an international release is scheduled for early-2008.
The album is rumoured to contain some of the additional songs composed for No More Sweet Music that did not make it to the final release.
Discography
- A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular (1996)
- Battersea (EP) (1998)
- Blue Wonder Power Milk (1998)
- The Magnificent Tree (2000)
- Hooverphonic Presents Jackie Cane (2002)
- Sit Down and Listen to Hooverphonic (live album) (2003)
- No More Sweet Music (2005)
- Singles '96 - '06 (2006)
The song Battersea was used in CBS TV series "Third Watch" in the first episode (pilot) in 1999 and in the end of the last episode (Goodbye to Camelot) in 2005.
The song Mad About You was used in the CBS TV series "Cold Case". It is used in the episode "Sanctuary".The song also appeared in the movie A lot Like Love during the new years eve sequence.
In several episodes of Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) the producers used Hooverphonic's music as well.
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Fête Iris in Brussel's Gran Place 2007
