Hooverphonic — The Magnificent Tree

It's trip, but not really hop, it's more like pop: Trip-Pop. That's how I would describe the sound of Belgian act Hooverphonic. How funny it may sound, it actually works for me.

The music is catchy and poppy but still has a dark edge to it. The female vocals are done by Geike Arnaert and she can sing pretty good and sometimes she sounds a bit like Madonna from 5 years ago. Most of the tracks are done well but sometimes it doesn't work quite right. Like the song 'Vinegar & Salt' which has some great melody lines but get's kinda ruined by it's refrain.

Songs like 'Mad About You' and 'Out Of Sight', both succesfull singles are some of the best the album has to offer. Both are catchy tracks who get me moved. 'Frosted Flake Wood' is a dreamy fairytale-like song and suits the album perfectly. With 'Every Time We Live Together We Die A Bit More' the album has it's darkest parts.

With most of the 12 tracks being good and with a great atmosphere this album has to be heard by people who like Portishead, Massive Attack and other artists in the trip-hop genre. Newcomers to said genre can easily start with Hooverphonic first since it's a nice bridge between pop and trip-hop.