Many moons ago, I was hanging out with my friend Yurei, getting ready to head over to the Gashaus for some much-needed caffeine injection via steaming mugs. He was wandering around his apartment, straightening things as he looked for his keys or his wallet -- I forget which -- and I was sitting by his computer, which was playing a tune that I was really groovin' to. That album was "A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular" by Hooverphonic.
The lead singer for 2Wicky was Liesje Sadonius, who left the band soon thereafter. Her replacement, Geike Arnaert, also had had an ethereal voice that drew me in the moment I heard it. The band, formed in 1995, was based out of Belgium. Geike was their lead singer until 2008, when she left to pursue a solo career. Hooverphonic picked up a new lead singer and put out another album. Unfortunately, neither endeavor went very far.
If I had to pick one song as my all-time favorite, it would be Battersea off of their "Blue Wonder Power Milk" album. I worked on learning the drum part for quite a while, until I finally nailed it. While other tunes held on to my top ten favorite tunes and then faded, I still get a smile when I hear that tune start to play, and I can't help but tap my fingers to the beat.
I keep hearing Hooverphonic tunes on commercials and movies. Geike's unique voice and the trippy music generated by the band really stands out. Some the original members were Geike, keyboardist Frank Duchêne, bassist Alex Callier, and guitarist Raymond Geerts. After their first album was released, they had several bouts of turnover, particularly since Geike, who turned 18 in 1998, was not named the official vocalist of the band until after their songs, particularly 2Wicky and Eden, started getting airplay and getting picked up for movie and commercial backgrounds.
I particularly enjoy their first three albums. Once Geike left, I tried to enjoy their The Night Before record, but it just wasn't the same. I picked up Geike's solo albums, but she was really missing the complex music behind her vocals. If they both tour together in my neck of the woods, I'd certainly give them a listen.
Discography:
A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular (1996)
Blue Wonder Power Milk (1998)
The Magnificent Tree (2000)
Hooverphonic Presents Jackie Cane (2002)
No More Sweet Music (2005)
The President of the LSD Golf Club (2007)
The Night Before (2010)
Hooverphonic with Orchestra (2012)
Reflection (2013)