Hooverphonic - Electronic Pop for Orchestra

Hooverphonic are probably the most famous Belgian pop group, certainly an institution of Flemish music, having racked up numerous gold and platinum records at home as well as achieving solid international success thanks to notable singles that marked a decade of their career and were also featured in the soundtracks of famous films and commercials.

The band's story begins with the meeting of bassist Johan Alex Maria Callier (who is also the leader and main compositional mind), guitarist Raymond Geerts and keyboardist Frank Duchêne in the city of Sint-Niklaas, in East Flanders, just a few kilometers from Antwerp. Formed in 1995 initially as Hoover, the group quickly changed its name to Hooverphonic, partly to avoid legal trouble with a well-known home appliance brand, and partly because the added suffix was catchy and evoked the semantic field of sound.

In the band's first year, no fewer than three female singers cycled through before the talented Geike Arnaert settled in as Callier's regular, official voice.

The fact is that his approach is that of a very demanding, controlling and ambitious person: every member of the group (which is somewhat his personal creation) has to fit precise characteristics that Callier has in mind for the sound of the songs and show absolute commitment and dedication. This leads to fairly rigid methods, befitting a domineering patriarch of the musical project. The first singer, Esther Lybeert, after recording a few demos, was let go on the very day the band signed with Sony to release their debut work, and would later say: "Alex never let me move around too much." The second, Liesje Sadonius, who managed to record a whole album before the split, is even more blunt: "I felt like I'd lost my autonomy." Her replacement was Kyoko Bartsoen, who left before even recording anything and only had time to play a handful of shows: "I soon realized they wanted to mold me into the previous singer."

Callier doesn't mince words when explaining his working method, which hardly endears him: "When I have a goal, I go straight for it, even if that hasn't always made me easy to work with. I'm well aware of that. Just because someone is shy and very fragile doesn't mean they need a gentle approach" (source: hln.be).

Their debut arrived in 1996 with A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular (a slightly ungrammatical title, since Alex Callier doesn't speak English very well, which also shows in lyrics that aren't particularly well crafted). The record fits within the context of trip-hop, which had emerged in previous years in the urban area of Bristol, in nearby England, before spreading elsewhere and influencing many artists. The initial impression, moreover, would seem to be one of a rather blatant imitation of the Bristol sound. The opening track "Inhaler" recalls, almost brazenly, "Protection" by Massive Attack, with similar rhythms and some electronic effects that are nearly identical. The following "2 Wicky" even revives one of the typical clichés of Bristol groups: sampling a track by the famous soul singer Isaac Hayes, whose smoky, enveloping sound inspired much of early trip-hop, to build a new song on top of it (in this case the sounds are lifted from "Walk On By", which was itself a reinterpretation of a song by Burt Bacharach). "Wardrope" also introduces a creative, jazzy flute, in a manner similar to what London's Archive did that same year with their "Londinium". The first impression for anyone already familiar with trip-hop is that Hooverphonic's debut is essentially an emulation of it.

And yet the songs written by Callier and arranged together with the rest of the group are atmospheric and engaging. They're well written. They're catchy and atmospheric, intriguing. Even in its most stylistically derivative moments, Hooverphonic's melodic flair shines through, revealing a surprising compositional maturity. What's more, the record also shows elements of what part of the music press at the time dubbed, rather unimaginatively, "post-trip-hop", referring mainly to electronic and pop artists who had incorporated typical trip-hop elements into their music without properly or entirely belonging to the genre, such as Lamb, Moloko, Sneaker Pimps or Morcheeba. It's worth noting that the album came out that same year, a few weeks ahead of the debuts of the above-mentioned groups, because at the time some music journalists criticized Hooverphonic's early work as mere clones of what those groups were doing, which is chronologically inaccurate.

A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular positions itself as an ideal bridge between these strands, and above all as a direct follow-up to "Blue Lines" by Massive Attack, of which it is in fact one of the most faithful successors in attitude, picking up its dreamy atmospheres, its relaxed and relaxing moods, its rhythmic approach (few trip-hop records actually sound like that particular first album — just consider the differences with the darker, more psychologically tense "Dummy" or "Mezzanine", to name two essential classics of the genre). It differs, however, by developing everything in a direction that focuses more on dreamlike layering than on lounge tones.

There's no shortage of excursions into rhythms other than downtempo; but what characterizes the record is the addition of ethereal textures that build as the listen progresses. Indeed, in the album's final stretch there's a clear infusion of dream-pop influence, which personalizes the group's sound beyond the typical coordinates of trip-hop and the tributes to Bristol groups, thanks in particular to the heartfelt, melancholy delivery of Liesje Sadonius, whose tone places her somewhere between Rachel Goswell of Slowdive and Julee Cruise.

"Sarangi" recalls "Army Of Me" by Bjork, with ethereal dream-pop vocalizing and sitar. "Nr. 9" explores the addition of shoegaze guitar distortion grafted onto a pop-rock framework. "Plus Profond" lets itself go with drum&bass rhythms over which a dreamlike voice à-la Cocteau Twins settles (not unlike what Lamb would show a few months later). "Revolver" is a hazy, nocturnal electro-rock track that anticipates something of the second Apollo 440 album. "Innervoice" recalls "Five Man Army" by Massive Attack at first, but then flows into distorted drones that give way to spacey atmospheres.

In fact, more than its closeness to trip-hop, one could argue from a certain point of view that the record falls between two stools for some of the genre's more purist aficionados (who might find it too evanescent) or for ethereal-wave fans (who might consider it too rhythmic to sound properly "dreamy"). But its strength lies precisely in this delicate balance. Worth noting that in Italy "2 Wicky" would become popular, included in the soundtrack of Bernardo Bertolucci's film "Stealing Beauty", starring Liv Tyler.

After Sadonius's departure, the band briefly took on Bartsoen, as already mentioned, before parting ways with her too. Looking for a new singer, Callier was struck by the audition of a young girl from Heuvelland (a small town near the French border), not yet of legal age for a few more weeks, Geike Arnaert. He very candidly asked her to join the band, since she was about to finish the school year, and she accepted immediately.

Under these auspices, Blue Wonder Power Milk was released (a title deliberately chosen to make little sense). The style now largely sets aside breakbeats and turns into a mix of effected pop/rock and electronics, in which the trip-hop and dream-pop influences are diluted overall, and in any case added after the basic melodies were written on acoustic guitar, which now finds greater space. Small contributions from instruments like oboe, horn, trombone and especially strings make increasing headway, enriching the arrangements and pushing the record into art-pop territory. There's a palpable sense that Callier is deliberately trying to distance Hooverphonic from the scene and from comparisons with Massive Attack, so much so that the opening single "Battersea" immediately offers strongly upbeat rhythms, almost as if opposing the now-widespread downtempo cadences. It's a celestial track, opened by a bed of melodramatic strings followed by driving drum&bass percussion, but what really stands out is Geike Arnaert's voice, sharp, youthful, fresh and dreamy — in a word: brilliant.

In subsequent albums Arnaert's role would gain prominence, but for now Callier still gives her a role balanced with the instrumental backing, trying to steer her toward ethereal tones along the same lines as Sadonius. On some tracks (the dark, almost lysergic "Dictionary" with its shoegazer coda, the driving, acoustic "Electro Shock Faders", the funky title track) it's actually Callier himself who sings. In her first outing, though, Arnaert really stands out, to the point of occasionally almost overshadowing the rest of the instrumentation and effects. Perhaps she's even wasted on Callier's lyrics, which aren't exactly deep or elaborate, starting right from the opening track. It's noticeable, though, that lyrically Hooverphonic are developing: before, the lyrics were built on a few often-repeated phrases, almost "minimalist", to emphasize the atmospheric touch of Liesje Sadonius's ethereal laments, whereas now they're longer and more discursive, leaving room for Geike Arnaert's versatility to add color.

There's no shortage of individually interesting tracks even without factoring in the vocalist's contribution. For instance, "One Way Ride" combines dance and dream-pop, backed by electronics that keep sounding ethereal, and by brass. Or the art-pop of the single "Club Montepulciano", elegant and alluring, with guitars almost in the style of Chris Isaak. The Italian reference is no accident: Callier is fascinated by the cliché of the bella vita, and imagines his band as a possible soundtrack for a luxurious setting.

The moments closest to trip-hop are "Eden", though it's defined more by strings, horn and the vocal duet than by its beat; "This Strange Effect" (made famous by an ad for a well-known phone brand), between jangle guitars and keyboard effects reminiscent of "Western Eyes" by Portishead; and finally, in the mournful electronics of "Magenta". But then again, "Lung" is a funky/pop track, while "Renaissance Affair" and "Tuna" come across as almost medieval folk digressions à-la late Dead Can Dance remixed for the club with airy vocal lines. A certain stylistic variety emerges, pursued through the arrangements and instrumentation.

Critics are split between those who appreciate the melodic kaleidoscope and those who accuse the band of reworking the aftermath of trip-hop without much originality, comparing them above all to Lamb. Time would end up being kinder to Hooverphonic.

By now, though, the ice is broken and Hooverphonic are ready to assert themselves with a consolidated style, built around Geike, who in concert increasingly amazes by reinterpreting the songs from the first album with her magical voice.

Frank Duchêne, however, suddenly left the band over creative differences. The keyboard and synthesizer parts now fall entirely to Callier, who, besides handling bass, also manages the programming of effects and the drum machine, as well as writing almost all the music and lyrics, effectively acting as a one-man band.

Two years later came The Magnificent Tree, which for Hooverphonic stands as their personal masterpiece. The style has by now evolved into an art-pop rich in electronic and atmospheric touches, with passages featuring a more sustained rhythmic backbone (with drum parts handled by guest Erik Bosteels), at times close to their early trip-hop sound, as well as contributions from various instruments including strings that add polish to the arrangements. At the heart of the songwriting is still a very direct song-form that seeks to foreground choruses and leading melodies, both instrumental and vocal. Above all, with The Magnificent Tree we witness the definitive explosion of Arnaert's vocal talent, who, freer in the vocal choices she adopts (the search for celestial 80s-style solutions is set aside in favor of a broad range of more open melodicism), surpasses herself in charisma and versatility. It's no coincidence that, for the first time, the band members appear on the cover and the singer is pictured in the foreground (a layout that would become frequent across LPs, EPs and singles). For the occasion she unleashes a vocal range of over three octaves, from mezzo-soprano shading into soprano, a flexible timbre that moves from ringing high notes with a bewitching falsetto to the sweetest trills, a magnetic charm that is heightened by the melodic character of the songs and that in turn helps make their radio impact all the more striking. It's an album that showcases the Flemish singer's star quality through and through. Moreover, Hooverphonic deliver a very polished, high-budget production (it's the most expensive record in Belgian history).

Every track is a potential hit, but some stand out more than others. The opening "Autoharp" is an instrumental between trip-hop, ambient and disorienting effects, over which the voice hums some atmospheric vocalizing in the background. "Waves" strips down the constituent elements of trip-hop and reassembles them after giving them a coat of electronic pop. "Jackie Cane", with surf guitars and seductive vocal lines, revisits the Isaak-esque sounds of "Club Montepulciano"; its hazy, playful electronics are counterbalanced by "Vinegar & Salt", biting and alluring, with acid-jazz touches and spy-story atmospheres that explode in the memorable chorus.

The searing Depeche Mode-esque synths of "Everytime We Live Together We Die A Bit More" can hold their own against the vocal allure that edges close to Beth Gibbons's aching timbre, but when it comes to the stunning falsetto of the sublime "Out Of Sight", celestial and joyous enough to rival the best dream-pop acts, no instrumental backing can keep up.

It's the single "Mad About You", though, that definitively launches Geike Arnaert as a star: introduced by strings, as "Battersea" was, but with a more retro feel, the song instead unfolds in a rise and fall of bittersweet emotions, measured rhythms, penetrating bass and stunning high notes in the memorable chorus, at a crossroads between vintage atmospheres and a more modern sensibility. It recalls, distantly, a softened Portishead paying tribute to 1950s spy-movie soundtracks, but poppier and more Depeche Mode-like. Both bands, in fact, to varying degrees are veiled influences throughout the album, particularly the latter's "Ultra"-era sound, but the former are recalled even more strongly on the closing "L'Odeur Animale", complete with alienating effects evoking 1950s film soundtracks. Among the bonus tracks on the limited editions, the lengthy downtempo/new-age "Visions" stands out.

In conclusion, Callier truly found in Geike Arnaert an enviable muse and a vocal cornerstone for the music and lyrics he writes. And he regards her fully as such, and in service of his music. We'll see later on how this attitude leads to cracks within the band, but for now Hooverphonic are at the peak of their success.

The song “Jackie Cane” tells the story of a naive, imaginary singer who is always sweet and kind to everyone, and for that very reason gets exploited (“Jackie cane was everybody’s sugar/ She gave it all wherever it took her/ They used her up before the sell-by date/ To be so sweet was her only mistake”). In 2002 the song inspired the concept album Hooverphonics Presents Jackie Cane. The title character is a young girl who decides to enter the show business, even at the cost of breaking off relations with her beloved twin sister. When she discovers that world to be toxic and frustrating, and finds she can't withstand the pressure of having become a famous singer, she abandons it to try to rebuild the relationship with her sister, who instead brings down the curtain with a tragedy, carrying out a murder-suicide by means of a poisoned soup (“The Last Supper”). All in all the story isn't particularly complex (no Callier lyric ever is), but the ending veers away from the stereotypes, while the shifts in sound and mood across the songs reflect the twists of the plot quite accurately.

The first part of the album keeps the band's usual art-pop, pop-rock and electronic foundation, but Callier tries to steer the compositions toward an operatic pop meant to evoke the atmosphere of Broadway musicals. The rich supporting instrumentation, which blends keyboards, acoustic guitar, saxophone, trombone, flute and horn, serves that ambition well without tipping over into excessive grandeur – though it occasionally lingers on a cliché or two that plays along with Callier's wish to make Hooverphonic sound like a “luxury” band.

The common thread throughout remains Geike Arnaert's formidable voice, which carries every song. The opening trio is her own personal triumph: biting in the emphatic, vaguely soul-inflected tones of “Sometimes”, punctuated by piano and brass; airy in the fluid, Isaak-esque “One”; bittersweet in the orchestrated pop of “Human Interest”. The Broadway tones return in the splendid “Nirvana Blue” (initially a piano-and-strings ballad, before closing with a layered choir backing Arnaert), in the single “The World Is Mine” (provocative and lavishly '70s) and in “Day After Day” (with hints of Latin flavour).

The first half of the album is also the liveliest, reflecting Jackie Cane's enthusiasm as she first enters the music business. Starting, however, with “Jackie's Delirium” (a captivating instrumental blending electronics, distorted ambient textures, relentless percussion and unsettling samples of children's nursery rhymes) and “Sad Song” (an acoustic pop ballad with disorienting background effects), the mood suddenly darkens, electronics and ambient sounds take up more space, and everything grows more desolate. “Others Delight” is one of the album's high points, with dense organ layers, downtempo drums and a particularly expressive Arnaert. The closing “The Kiss” is a touching chamber-pop piano ballad.

The album confirms the band's good form, but overall the songs also give the impression of revolving a little too heavily around Arnaert, to the point that without her they would lose much of their bite.

In 2003 the sense that Callier's music is Geike-dependent is amplified with Sit Down And Listen To Hooverphonic, technically a live album, or more precisely an audience-free recording of tracks from previous records rearranged in a minimal/semi-acoustic style with the addition of an orchestra, followed by a tour in the same style across various theatre dates in Belgium and beyond. The first two comparisons that come to mind are Portishead's “Roseland NYC Live”, released two years earlier, and The Gathering's “Sleepy Buildings – A Semi Acoustic Evening”, recorded around the same time and released just a few months later. Unfortunately Hooverphonic rank a notch below those two performances, but the result is nonetheless a positive one.

The songs, almost completely stripped of their electronic elements, sound contemplative and slowed down; what stands out above all is Geike Arnaert's voice, almost always placid and melancholy, towering over both the acoustic guitar and the strings. The electric guitar parts are reduced to the essentials and used solely to build atmosphere, never stepping into the foreground. The focus gravitates entirely around the young singer.

The new guise proves interesting and has plenty to satisfy fans of the band: “One” is poetically melancholic, “Jackie Cane” becomes a relaxing ballad tinged with tropical sounds, “2 Wicky” manages to sound both elegant and gripping at once, “Vinegar & Salt” is aching and plaintive, “Sometimes” comes across as a catchy chamber piece. There's also a Lee Hazlewood cover, “My Autumn's Done Come”, and the previously unreleased “The Last Thing I Need Is You” (in Hooverphonic's typical style). Inexplicably missing is a rearranged version of the band's most famous song, “Mad About You”, yet in concert Hooverphonic would often bring out a fascinating new minimal, downtempo and abrasive version of it, even working in an excerpt of Portishead's “Glory Box” (the Dvd “Hooverphonic Singles 96-06” includes a spectacular 2005 recording from a concert at the Ancienne Belgique featuring this performance, in which Arnaert holds her own quite well against Beth Gibbons in terms of expressiveness and charisma, despite the cover being treated almost as a quick, fleeting interlude).

In 2005 the band released a double album, with the first disc simply titled More Sweet Music and containing the new material, while the second CD, No More Sweet Music, contains remixes of the same tracks. Having abandoned the more orchestral ambitions of the previous studio record, the whole thing sounds like a relatively darker and more subdued evolution of the more contemplative side of The Magnificent Tree, fittingly stripped of its most dazzling choruses in favour of a slow, nocturnal approach.

The first disc leans toward sounds broadly akin to downtempo, mixed with an ambient-pop and electro-pop framework, pursuing these hazy, crepuscular textures. The title track is built around a sample of Henry Mancini's “Lujon” set within a palette that wouldn't have been out of place on a Bel Canto album, and it's emblematic of the record's general coordinates, with lounge tones that flirt with sensuality but fold back in on themselves to leave room for Arnaert's delicate voice. “Dirty Lenses”, by contrast, plays at sounding like Garbage in electro-pop mode, and is faster-paced and more rhythmic.

Still, it's the slower, more atmospheric tracks that stand out (“You Love Me to Death”, “My Child”, “Ginger”), even if they mostly come across as fine exercises in style. On the whole, the record seems built on a handful of melodic and atmospheric ideas that Callier tries to stretch out, but it ends up falling into a number of clichés, with a somewhat repetitive aftertaste, ultimately sounding like a kind of atmospheric backdrop to Arnaert's ever-excellent vocal interplay.

The remix album, unusually, turns out to be more creative and colourful, with more rhythmic tricks and sonic solutions making the whole thing relatively more eclectic.

Two years later came The President Of The LSD Golf Club (a title originally conceived for The Magnificent Tree), which this time saw the band trying its hand, by its own declared intent, at psychedelic-pop. The result, in truth, turns out to be considerably more poppy than psych overall, with the latter element remaining superficial and consisting mainly of the vintage-flavoured timbre of certain sounds. Instead, the album is essentially a smooth pop-rock record streaked with dreamy and occasionally lounge atmospheres. The touches of mellotron, Rhodes, Moog and harpsichord never take over, remaining elegant accompaniments in the background. The change of clothes suits the band well, who rediscover greater inspiration in their songwriting, resulting in tracks that are, all things considered, enjoyable. Adding a sense of body, alongside the well-judged production that manages to strike a balanced feel between retro and modern, is the presence this time of an actual drummer in the studio (Steven Van Havere) in place of the drum machine used on previous albums.

The moods remain hazy and relaxed throughout, with never a shift toward a hit single or an uptempo moment; it's a slowed-down record that plays on measured tempos and keyboard-driven fills. The opening is already top-notch: the piano chimes of “Stranger”, the enveloping “50 Watt” (with Callier on vocals and a lead melody that's practically the same as the chorus of Nik Kershaw's “Wouldn't It Be Good”), the acidic britpop of “Expedition Impossible”, the wistfully poetic “Circles”. The album unfolds across tracks that offer an easy-listening take on 60s psychedelia-tinged pop-rock (“The Eclipse Song”), hazy, more modern-flavoured ballads (“Billie”), emotional layering (“Black Marble Tiles”) and ethereal digressions (“Strickly Out Of Phase”).

The closing track breaks away from the more subdued tones of the rest of the songs, and is entrusted to the unsettling yet catchy “Bohemian Laughter”, which draws quite directly on the caustic sound of Portishead's self-titled album, particularly the track “Over”, albeit in a softer version without the downtempo pulse and scratching; Arnaert too follows vocal lines not unlike Gibbons'.

This isn't an inherently groundbreaking work, but it certainly reinvents the Hooverphonic sound after a period of creative stagnation in which it seemed like sticking to the same old stylistic devices would become increasingly forced and less inspired, spilling over into excessive cliché. The quality of the individual songs is slightly undermined by the fact that Arnaert often relegates herself to the background. At times she seems almost languid and less passionate. Compared to the hit singles of the past, this certainly isn't her best showing in terms of radio charisma, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, since it offers a shift in register. In this new guise her voice flows smoothly through the songs without chasing irresistible choruses, instead helping to build atmosphere alongside the rest of the instrumentation. Unfortunately, it's possible that Arnaert's rarefied, subdued moods were also down to her troubled relationship with her bandmates, which had by then reached a breaking point: after the album's release, in fact, the singer would leave the group.

The official reason given for her departure is the desire to pursue a solo career, but in interviews Arnaert avoids revisiting the topic. Callier too is evasive, and comes across as irritated with the press over the matter, though without addressing it openly. When, after auditions for a new singer, he chooses the young (just 22-year-old) Noémie Wolfs, Callier appears almost passive-aggressive, going so far as to claim that he finally senses chemistry in rehearsals. The veiled jab is aimed at Arnaert, but why such a cryptic dig? For her part, she doesn't open up, and keeps repeating that she wants to focus on her solo career. It would take her four years, though, before actually managing to record an album: clearly that path wasn't ready yet, and other reasons must have led to the premature split between the two parties.

Meanwhile, in 2007, Liesje Sadonius (the voice on Hooverphonic's debut) also returns to the microphone under the pseudonym Suzanina, releasing the EP Heavenly Juice. The mini-album consists of dark-tinged electronic pop, driven by synthetic strings (not especially successful) and a minimal beat (more effective). The sound is hazy and languid, but unfortunately, after this effort, the artist will disappear from the scene, never releasing another record.

In 2010 comes The Night Before, which finally sees Noémie Wolfs debut with the group on vocals. Callier chooses to portray her front and center on the cover, with the other two musicians in the background. It's almost a statement of intent: this is Hooverphonic now, full stop, let's not talk about the past. All of this, combined with the controversial statements in interviews, raises the suspicion that Callier is trying to repaint the band's image out of spite. The result is a loss of goodwill among fans, which will affect how the new album is received.

In truth, the release doesn't turn out to be one of the band's best, but it's not a disaster either. The songwriting settles into a calm, easy-flowing chamber-pop with no particular ambitions, returning to the bittersweet atmospheres of the pre-LSD era, but stripping away much of the electronic effects, emphasizing the bass, keeping the analog sound of the previous album, and adopting an even more melodic approach. The arrangements are catchy and very easy-listening, but they don't skimp on keyboard and string accompaniments to give the tracks extra emotional weight.

Overall, it's an album with no surprises, one that plays it safe and aims for simple enjoyability. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer enough melodic ideas across its full length to really count as a strong fresh start. Which is surprising, because this makes the record seem more anonymous and repetitive than it actually is. There's no shortage of interesting songs, in fact: "Anger Never Dies" aims to be a sweeping, mature hit with some of Callier's most carefully crafted lyrics (“Anger never dies/ It’s part of life/ It’s part of you/ The end will cease the fire/ And make us accept we tend to lose”) and an elegantly sensual video; "Norwegian Stars" tries to recapture the vintage sounds of the previous album; "George's Café" intrigues with almost noir-ish sonorities that still carry a strong melodic presence; "Sunday Afternoon" revisits the Chris Isaak-style sounds Callier loves, making them even more melodic; "Danger Zone" is a calm, hazy trip-hop track in the style of early Archive.

In the rest of the tracklist, however, there's a lack of substantial sparks, and although not without merit, the result is patchy and overall falls short of expectations. Public response is generally negative, partly, as already mentioned, because of the loss of Geike Arnaert and the way the new era had been presented. It probably would have been more productive for Geerts and Callier to go for a more "experimental" record (by their standards), or at least something that broke the mold, in order to introduce the new singer in an uncharted context still to be discovered, thus avoiding cumbersome comparisons with the past and more decisively signaling their intent to chart new paths apart from the iconic Arnaert. One wonders whether her vocal interpretation might have elevated these songs: Noémie Wolfs's voice is statuesque in its beauty, but more one-note, and still lacking the multifaceted, magnetic personality of the countrywoman she replaced.

That same year, the former singer brings to life the project Dorléac together with Erik de Jong, aka Spinvis, a mix of murky trip-hop in the style of Tricky, along with more lighthearted folk-pop and electro-pop; she then releases her official debut the following year, billing herself simply as Geike. With For The Beauty Of Confusion, Arnaert tries her hand at a decent brand of electronic pop, very close to Hooverphonic's own tonalities, ending up practically complementary to the direction taken by the band's new album.

On "Icy" it sounds like you're listening to Goldfrapp, "Strange Disorder" edges toward synth-pop, "Unlock" plays with disco-funk sounds, but the peak is perhaps "This Page", a catchy closer built on biting pop-rock with a strong synthesizer presence and an infectious chorus.

There's still some seasoning to be done in her solo songwriting, and a bit of trimming needed to weed out the odd filler, but vocally Arnaert comes across as more eclectic and versatile than on her last album as a Hooverphonic member, moving with ease from hushed, almost whispered passages to sunny pop choruses and more melancholy moments. Her vocal qualities remain clearly on display, and the solo debut is thoroughly satisfying on that front. The only shortcoming lies in the limited ability to surprise on the instrumental side, which settles into various established stylistic templates on which to lay the Flemish artist's varied vocal tones, as she continues to search for a stable musical identity beyond her singing.

Around the time of the album's release, Geike Arnaert finally reveals to the press the reasons behind her split from Hooverphonic. In an interview for the magazine Humo, she recounts:

Leaving the group wasn't a rash, fickle decision, but something I'd thought about for months. I was only 17 when I started working with Hooverphonic. People grow, right? As I grew up and became wiser, I developed my own personality and artistic ideas. I tried to put them forward, but the others were never open to me. The roles were fixed, and mine was just to sing, stay quiet, and look pretty. Sometimes I'd hear the final version of a song and think to myself: 'Is this really what I worked on?' I co-created the concept for Jackie Cane in 2002, on the bus during the tour, but as far as I know it was completely reworked. Yes, 'Sometimes' became a hit, but as a song I don't feel it's mine.

It was also disheartening to realize that the men I worked with, whom I saw as brothers, in turn saw me as... something else. I never understood whether someone wanted more from me. For instance, during one tour there was a guy who spoiled me. I thought it was just part of his job, but actually he was in love with me. After a while, another staff member went after me: 'You won't do anything with me, but with him...', while I wasn't doing or wanting anything with anyone. I was there to work, wasn't I? As a singer you don't expect all that extra pressure. On top of that, I had to deal with an entourage that didn't care about my complaints or how I was feeling. There are people who made a lot of money off Hooverphonic and wanted the train to keep running no matter what. I get it: everyone wants to keep things going. But not at the expense of my well-being. I admire Alex, he certainly has talent. And I'm proud that I got to take part in this wonderful music. But that constant push to force things I didn't feel... in the long run it became unbearable. [...]

Sometimes you think: "Maybe I should have listened to my inner voice sooner." I won't live forever, I have my own ideas, and ten years feels long enough to have spent accompanying someone else's journey. Let me say that the humor on the tour bus wasn't always refined, and at times it was simply disrespectful. Sometimes it's funny, but men don't realize they can make you feel lonely or used as a woman. [...]

A lot of people don't understand why you'd leave a famous, well-functioning band: it's because they themselves are afraid of the unknown and can't see why anyone would turn down success. They see success as a form of liberation and a confirmation of their identity: all that attention, free clothes, free travel... but it can also mean giving things up or having your personality constrained: anything that doesn't fit the band leader's commercial plans gets adjusted, pushed aside. In the end, you're living half a life. Or someone else's life. Of course, a lot of people don't see that side of things. [...]

In my experience, making something beautiful is mostly hard work, perseverance, and rowing against the constraints holding you back.

In 2012 comes the awkward moment, when an official release puts it in black and white: the new singer taking on the old singer's classic songs. Callier doesn't much care, they're "his" songs, "his" music, and who sings them is always his choice. Hooverphonic With Orchestra is a compendium of the band's discography, recorded at the Koningin Elisabethzaal in 2012 and available in two versions: one similar to Sit Down And Listen To, a technically live performance but without an audience, and a more successful live version, with the typical sounds of a concert (plus a few extra tracks). Instrumentally the orchestral additions are atmospheric, but otherwise the songs slavishly follow the original versions stripped of their electronic effects, though with less bite and charisma. Vocally Wolfs tends to come across as monotonous, and what jars most of all is that many classics are irrevocably tied to Arnaert's inimitable voice and her singular delivery, and simply can't be reinterpreted without sounding like pale imitations. Especially on big hits like "Jackie Cane" or "Mad About You", you really feel the absence of the former singer's personal, distinctive timbre - which takes nothing away from Noémie Wolfs's talent, simply "different", and better suited to being channelled into her own path to cultivate her vocal abilities, rather than being used as a replacement. There's also a cover of "Unfinished Sympathy", interesting but not essential.

In 2013 Reflection comes out, and this time the band really seems to be running on empty. It does nothing but water down or recycle the contents of the previous album, but with less enthusiasm, largely limiting itself to churning out acoustic, piano-based pop ballads with little personality. Wolfs's vocal performance comes across as flattened and probably wasted, and most of the tracks sound lifeless, opaque, pale imitations of Hooverphonic at their best. The exceptions are "Radio Silence", a duet between Callier and Wolfs; "Single Malt", the album's most nocturnal track; and the pleasant single "Amalfi". The latter, incidentally, sparks a minor "incident" with the town's residents, because the video - in which Wolfs plays the stereotypical tourist charmed by Italy and its folksy national symbols like mopeds, the old Fiat 500, ice cream, and romantic encounters - was actually shot in Ischia. Some people tried to point this out to the band in colourful terms on social media, in some cases accusing them of having done it deliberately to generate buzz and free publicity. It's more likely that Callier simply didn't give it much thought, since what interested him was inserting references to the Italian and Mediterranean imagination purely for their own sake. All of this can come across as a bit superficial, and indeed the lyrics - never the band's strong suit - are hardly among Callier's finest lyrical efforts:

Morning sunshine

You are always smiling when I open my…

My eyes do shine

Radiate like a nuclear dense cloud

You’re like a real strong cup of tea

Giving me more than energy

Caffeine is just a small advance

For all the triggers that make me

Na nana nana nananana boy you make me dance

Na nana nana nananana you put me in a trance

In the end, in 2014, Noémie too cuts ties with the band - or perhaps more accurately, with Callier - over irreconcilable artistic visions for the future of the collaboration. Although part of the audience expected a moment like this to come sooner or later, the announcement catches everyone off guard, coming at a time when the two seemed in sync. In the press release, Callier explains: "We had some beautiful moments, but you also have to face reality, we weren't on the same wavelength anymore [...] We fought within the band to find a chemistry between us, but it was over. We were pulling the rope in only one direction, so at that point it was better to cut it."

Raymond Geerts doubles down: "We're splitting up like a good couple, with mutual respect. But Noémie wanted 'more', and besides, she was on a different wavelength from us. The age gap is undeniable too, I'm often older than our singers' fathers."

The Belgian press has a field day with the gossip, and takes the opportunity to go bother Geike Arnaert again, prompting her to get a few more things off her chest. During the Belpop broadcast (as reported by hln.be): "Alex put a lot of pressure on me. When I struggled to find the right pitch, we'd be forced to re-record things over and over. At one point I burst into tears. I saw myself only as an extension of his talent. As a result, there was tension between the two of us."

Raymond Geerts replies: "With Alex, the 'easy road' is never the one to take. Geike had to sing that way, and should have sung that way, even if the high notes are painful." And so Alex Callier, surprisingly, on why he's always so demanding and controlling: "What Geike never understood is that I'm nothing without a singer."

Essentially, the two of them only confirm that the project has always been entirely steered by Callier, and that his personality has always clashed with that of the singers who, one after another, tried to express their own musical ideas. Finding no room to show them, and unwilling to be mere frontwomen directed by a conductor, all of them, in the end, left the band.

There is time, however, for a brief radio appearance by Geike for a single performance with the band of the evergreen "Mad About You", a nostalgia operation that - as Callier is keen to point out - amounts to nothing more than a one-off collaboration.

Regardless, finding a new singer is no longer a priority for the band, which by now takes life more in stride. So for In Wonderland (2016), Callier and Geerts decide to invite the most varied array of guests, both male and female, to the microphone. The result is a bit more varied and colourful than its predecessor, but still doesn't break away from what is, at bottom, catchy, easy-going pop-rock. More than anything, the album feels like a collection of scattered, half-baked ideas recorded just for the sake of it, lacking any cohesion or sense of direction. It's especially the more upbeat tracks that seem built on one or two interesting ideas, stretched and repeated until they pass for a song. The more atmospheric, hushed moments, by contrast, show a stronger sense of character.

The opening title track is almost dreamy, "Badaboum" sounds like a sweetened-up version of Air. "Cocaine Kids" is a lysergic funk-pop number that flirts with Arctic Monkeys. "Deep Forest" is a pleasant chamber-pop ballad later joined by electronic effects and strings that strongly recall early Archive and Massive Attack. "Hiding In A Song" is a fine example of art-pop with refined arrangements and carefully studied counterpoints to the melodic themes, sadly a rare exception in Hooverphonic's recent output. "Praise Be" sounds too similar to Archive in their most pop/electronic/baroque phase, trying to sound breezier but without much conviction.

The album is ultimately very uneven and, all things considered, disappointing, but the whole of the group's post-Geike output could be summed up in those same terms.

Meanwhile, Noémie Wolfs released her solo record: melodically, Hunt You doesn't stray far from what the singer did with Hooverphonic, but it brings in more of a singer-songwriter and r&b streak. Vocally, Wolfs is inconsistent and overall doesn't deliver particularly exciting results, occasionally finding a personality of her own to express, but in some cases even sounding less expressive than she did with Hooverphonic. The end result is a mixed bag, with a few heartfelt, moving songs (above all the dreamlike layers of "All You Ever Wanted" and the electronic vocal runs of the title track) surrounded by a lot of forgettable material. Still, it's a notch better than the last record released with her former band.

Meanwhile, Hooverphonic remain somewhat on the sidelines, with Callier writing songs that keep piling up, without much motivation to put together an album, or rather without the right voice to convince him to record what he otherwise considers unfinished tracks. In the end, though, the spark for a new singer arrives all the same. Even though Raymond had previously spoken of the age gap as a problem that caused some discomfort within the band's dynamics, Callier picks his new singer very young once again: not yet eighteen, just like Geike when she joined, Luka Cruysberghs had been his student on The Voice of Flanders 2017, which she went on to win. Looking For Stars comes out in late 2018 and, perhaps because no one expected much, it surprisingly turns out to be far more inspired than anticipated. It's probably the band's best work of the decade, otherwise a rather bitter one for the Belgians in terms of satisfaction, even if still far from their former glories. The reason is simple enough: Callier had prepared material for three albums, but the young Cruysberghs, after listening to the demos, immediately pointed out which tracks excited her most and which ones she wanted to sing. As if struck by this show of character, Callier followed all her suggestions, essentially setting out to put together a compilation of the best available songs (or rather a playlist, as he puts it in interviews, referencing Spotify).

Looking For Stars is thus achieved by selecting the best of the available material, guided by a new, fresh mind pointing toward new directions. The record ranges from evocative, exotic electronics ("Paranoid Affair"), to dreamy, sun-drenched pop ("Romantic"), to more contemporary trap influences ("Concrete Skin") as well as more 80s-indebted ones ("Uptight" or the title track).

The record thus balances melancholy, romantic touches, acoustic elements and keyboard flourishes, with far more melodic ideas simmering than on previous releases. Occasionally blander tracks crop up that somewhat flatten the overall impact of the album, but not excessively so. The result falls well short of the peaks of Hooverphonic's career, but is overall more than acceptable as a comeback. Luka's voice is delicate yet powerful, hinting at a great deal of potential for the future. Could this be the prelude to a refounding of the band, one that will revolve around the new singer's talent? Or will she too eventually find Callier's methods and presence too stifling and limiting for her artistic identity, ending up looking for her own path elsewhere? And what if Callier, this time, given the years gone by and past experiences, decided to step back and let the new front-woman's exuberance run free? We'll see what the future holds for the Hooverphonic moniker.

But that's not the end of it: October 2019 brings the return of Geike Arnaert, with Lost In Time, her second solo album, eight years on from her debut. The album explores a melancholy, dreamlike singer-songwriter dimension, departing from its predecessor by stripping back the electronic component to focus on her mournful, intimate voice.

On 9 November 2020, out of the blue, Hooverphonic and Luka Cruysberghs announced on their respective social media channels, rather tersely, that they would be going their separate ways. No more specific statements were released, but from the tone of the messages it seems the split (described as "bittersweet") was free of any resentment, with mutual respect on both sides. In reality, poor Cruysberghs was dropped without much ceremony, via a video call in the middle of the pandemic informing her that she'd already been replaced, and understandably she was left feeling a bit bruised by it. That same day, in fact, Hooverphonic announced, to everyone's great surprise, Geike Arnaert's return to the lineup, doing so with a nice rearrangement of the classic "Mad About You". Clearly it had all been set up who knows how long before, with who knows what behind-the-scenes machinations that may (or may not) one day be revealed to the music gossip press. Their subsequent appearance at Eurovision in 2021 certainly raises a few suspicions.

Time heals many wounds, but we'll see whether this second chapter of the partnership will bear fruit worthy of the band's classic period, or whether it will turn out to be just a nostalgia exercise for its own sake.

The new album Hidden Stories came out in May 2021, and from the very first notes it seems to move along nocturnal tonal lines, with a direct, faintly melancholy melodic approach, in the band's usual style in terms of sounds and instruments: the opener "A Simple Glitch of the Heart" is a noir piece that recalls "No More Sweet Music"; "Thinking About You" is brisk pop with the band's traditional Chris Isaak / Pete Nashell-style guitars set against keyboard strings and new wave basslines; "The Wrong Place" is soft and hazy, arguably the best song here, not by chance the one chosen to represent Belgium at Eurovision; "Belgium in the Rain" sounds bittersweet while harking back to the band's early days, with electronic effects and a tasty arrangement; "Lift Me Up" plays with 70s soul-pop atmospheres.

But these are only decent tracks resting on a handful of ideas, which stand out in the short term mainly for the effect of hearing Geike Arnaert back together with her old bandmates. What truly stands out is her crystalline voice, but take her away and there isn't much left. Unfortunately, the melodic flashes soon thin out, and the remaining tracks become fairly unremarkable and monotonous, if not outright repetitive, with the exception of the closing title track, a placid ballad built around piano and drums. The album goes by quickly, leaving a sense of incompleteness across its roughly 30 minutes. One is left thinking "is that it?", and the songs themselves, immediate and bare-bones as they are, feel unfinished, more like background music for a hotel lobby than anything else. It's as if Alex Callier had hastily thrown together a few musical sketches, perhaps even some leftovers from the previous album, just to have that legendary voice sing over them... as if she were some magic ingredient capable of making any recipe shine, regardless of everything else. Or perhaps it was a way to quickly grab the audience's attention and get back in the spotlight, in time to ride the wave of their appearance at Eurovision, even at the cost of tossing aside Cruysberghs's budding talent to make room for the old flame.

No, simply putting the old lineup back together isn't enough to revive the alchemy that once was, and Geike isn't some magic ingredient that can fix everything. There was more inspiration in the sole record made with Cruysberghs, which brought some fresh ideas and seemed to bring out the best in the controversial, debatable Callier. But one can hope the next record will be more substantial — there's no reason to assume otherwise.

In 2024 Hooverphonic returned with the self-produced Fake Is The New Dope. The trio had announced beforehand that the album would mark a return to the band's trip-hop origins. That claim really only applies to the opening title track and the closing "United States Of Amnesia", fully pop-downtempo tracks of a kind not heard since 2005, on parts of the eclectic No More Sweet Music, following in particular in the footsteps of the intense "You Love Me To Death". Even so, that would still be something of an overstatement: trip-hop doesn't simply mean having a downtempo beat and nothing else. The rest moves along different lines, and the differences in style, tone, atmosphere and arrangement compared with the band's debut can clearly be felt — the only album of theirs ever to properly fit the genre. Unfortunately, the differences in song quality stand out just as much.

The band's electronic pop formula generally remains elegant in its songwriting and melodic sense. Compositionally, as usual, electronic elements and acoustic instruments are blended together to create a sense of dynamism, reinforced further by the mix of varied rhythms — upbeat moments prevail, but are alternated with the occasional more measured passage and even the odd sprinkling of trap. It's a mix familiar to anyone who knows the band, but this familiarity works against it, because for the most part the album feels like a collection of B-sides from previous records, with few striking ideas and far too much repetitiveness. The guitar melodies are dramatically lacking, the keyboards act mostly as filler, and the rhythmic side is bland. Only Geike's voice shows a flicker of light thanks to her wonderful timbre, but even that gets diluted by the overall lack of ideas. Curiously, rather than in the more melancholy, emotional moments, she seems more at ease in the danceable ones; but these are "popcorn" tracks, catchy in the moment but gliding by without much ambition, lacking bite, lacking any real vitality that leaves a mark.

Just when the album should feel more emotional and atmospheric, the band's current limitations become visible: they seem to have nothing to say, and never go beyond putting together a few timid melodies over assorted backing tracks. Even the album's overall theme is rather bland, and in the end the songs feel more like a collection of singles with no connection to one another, and not even particularly exciting ones at that.

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