HOOVERPHONIC - Hidden Stories

After announcing their reunion with longtime singer Geike Arnaert, Hooverphonic release their new album "Hidden Stories". Will they manage to revive the old alchemy, after a decade that wasn't exactly a high point for either party?

From the very first notes, the album seems to move along nocturnal coordinates, with a direct, slightly melancholic melodic approach, staying true to the band's underlying style in terms of sounds and instrumentation.

The first half of the album seems promising: the opener "A Simple Glitch Of The Heart" is a noir track that recalls "No More Sweet Music"; "Thinking About You" is brisk pop built on 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, between electronic effects and a tasty arrangement; "Lift Me Up" plays with 70s soul-pop atmospheres. At first glance, the impression seems positive.

But these are merely decent tracks, resting on a handful of good ideas, and in the short run they stand out mainly for the thrill of hearing Geike Arnaert back with her old bandmates. What truly shines throughout the album is her crystalline voice, but take her away and there isn't much left.

Unfortunately the melodic flashes of inspiration soon thin out, and the remaining tracks become unremarkable and monotonous, if not outright repetitive, with the exception of the closing title track, a placid ballad driven by piano and drums. The album goes by quickly, leaving a sense of incompleteness across its roughly thirty minutes.

It's as if Alex Callier had hastily thrown together a few musical backings just to give that legendary voice something to sing over, as though it were some kind of magic ingredient, but that's not enough to make a great record. Still, one can hope the next effort will have more substance - there's no reason to assume otherwise.

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23/05/2021