A Belgian trio that in 2000 ventured into a very unique album “The Magnificent Tree”, which I could dare to compare to the dimension of Portishead, I would say it is quite sustained and enhanced by the voice of singer Geike Arnaert, who effortlessly handles all 11 tracks, immersing herself in a not at all easy melody.
It is not an amazing album, but overall I would say it's good and different from many usual genres in circulation and thus deserves a solid three stars. It manages to convey sunny emotions while at the same time dark and nostalgic, I repeat and emphasize again, thanks to the amalgamation of Geike's voice with their set rhythm. Describing it… .
Autoharp – dark and strong track, a sort of chase on itself
Mad About You – very famous and “good” track, backbone of the entire album, excellent tone variations of Geike's voice and her way of delivering the piece, practically like an electrocardiogram, I find it very catchy, easy to hum along to its sunny choruses
Waves – beginning of bells or cowbells, and I found out with my musical ear, in my opinion, unfortunately, that this opening of the track is identical or “cloned” to that of "Plainsong” from Disintegration by The Cure (try listening to it, to believe) and it is therefore a small flaw, because for the rest of the track everything flows into a sort of fun on a small merry-go-round, sitting on typical horses that go up and down, while the wind tousles your hair
Jackie Cane – guitar in the foreground, melodic and imaginative rhythm, like from a soundtrack of the film “A Fistful of Dollars” where with the look and steady stride of Clint Eastwood is ready to shoot you Magnificent Tree sweetest, fresh, enchanting, in short… One must close their eyes to dream and thus be carried away
Vingar & Salt desire to understand the reason for so many absurd and incomprehensible things
Frosted Flakewood opening like a children's fairy tale, a frantic race in a park complete with joyful bird chirping, to play hide and seek behind the magic tree
Every Time We Live Together We Die a Bit More here you can find another excellent interpretation by Geike
Out of Sight this instead I find a track countercurrent to their style and canon, but equally very sweet and determined
Pink Fluffy Dinosaurs track hanging on the edge of the universe, immersed in stars, satellites and meteorites
L’odeur Animale and as a closing track, the desire and search for a well-deserved tranquility, I would say an escape from the chaos and daily stress, and from unjustifiable but above all undeserved gratuitous thoughts.
Overall, I would say it's an album not to be underestimated, it takes more listens for a final judgment, and then, you either like it or you don’t, there are no in-betweens. And as I have already written in a comment about Porcupine Tree, Giacomo Puccini wrote… .
'Music is the chosen homeland of those who know how to abstract themselves from the miseries of the world'
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Autoharp (04:21)
You are my autoharp
I push every button on your body
I push the a minor, the e flat, the f major
And especially the c sharp 7
You are my autoharp
I play every string in your mind
And even when I play them very loud
They keep in tune
But how will they sound soon
You are my autoharp
I bought you in a pawnshop in virginia
You were cheap but in good condition
Longing for someone to take you on an exotic trip
You are my autoharp
I carried you all over the world
In my hard case called the heart
You're the reason for my blood to keep running
Through my veins every album again
02 Mad About You (03:43)
Feel the vibe, feel the terror, feel the pain
It's driving me insane
I can't fake
For God's sake, why am I
Driving in the wrong lane
Trouble is my middle name
But in the end I'm not too bad
Can someone tell me if it's wrong to be so mad about you
Mad about you
Mad
Are you the fishy wine who will give me
A headache in the morning
Or just a dark blue land mine
That'll explode without a decent warning
Give me all your true hate
And I'll translate it in our bed
Into never seen passion, never seen passion
That's why I am so mad about you
Mad about you
Mad
Trouble is your middle name
But in the end you're not too bad
Can someone tell me if it's wrong to be
So mad about you
Mad about you
Mad about you
Mad about you
Mad
(Intermezzo)
Give me all your true hate
And I'll translate it in your bed
Into never seen passion
That is why I am so mad about you
Mad about you
Mad about you
Mad about you
Mad about you
Mad about you
Mad about you
03 Waves (04:01)
These gigantic waves just take me
To an unknown destination
Under the moonlight
Feel free to join me on my trip
The tide will take us far
Beyond midnight
Stars will guide us through this
Exotic white
Stars won't be able to fool the knowledge
Of the magic dice
This sea breeze is refreshing
While the dolphins sing about
These psychedelic moods
These waves keep you going
'Till you finally forget
Your original roots
Stars will guide us through this
Exotic white
Stars won't be able to fool the knowledge
Of the magic dice
Wave after wave
04 Jackie Cane (04:20)
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
The only flower in a concrete garden
Destined to be the rock that wouldn't harden
Jackie cane was everybody's sugar
She'd melt away if only she could of
Taken for granted
Abused and drained
They ran her dry and
Then it never rained
She was the queen
Of the 25th hour
They looked so sweet
But the after-taste was sour
Salty days for jackie cane
05 The Magnificent Tree (03:55)
Bought this guitar at a shop called Mars
But on the way back home, strange things happened in my car
Started to play all by itself, creatures jumped
From the highest shelf, until I touched string 12
This magnificent tree appeared in my mind
Even without leaves, its strength was divine
Synthesized gnomes penetrated this godly zone
Summer was thrown off its royal throne
This magnificent tree appeared in my mind
Even without leaves, its srength was divine
06 Vinegar & Salt (03:20)
I...like the things that you hate
And you...hate the things that I like
But it hurts
Honestys your church
But sometimes
Its better to lie
I...am the vinegar and salt
And you...are the oil that dissolves
My frustration
Honestys limitation
But sometimes
Its better to lie
I am the vinegar and salt
And you are the oil that dissolves my frustrations
Limitations
But sometimes...
I dont dare to ask why
07 Frosted Flake Wood (03:17)
Johnny went to frosted flake
To go for a walk in the frozen wood
He bumped into a mushroom
That sold his body for some warm food
"Eat me my friend, you'll be the leader of the band"
Johnny's hand reached out
Luckily there was mr doubt
Mr doubt the old man was the surveyor
Of frosted flake wood
He tried to sell hesitation wherever he could
"Buy some doubt"
Feel free he yelled loud
"Friends it won't hurt"
Luckily there was big bird
For god's sake run away
Or it won't be your lucky day
Leave this forest behind
This ain't a place for human kind
08 Every Time We Live Together We Die a Bit More (03:35)
Everybody wants one
Everybody's got one
Everybody
Everybody wants to be loved
Everybody wants one
Everybody's got one
Everybody
Everybody wants to be loved
Is it you who's going to guide me
Through this labyrinth of poems
Is it you that's going to make me
Gonna make me feel home
And every time we live together
We just die a bit more
So why don't we just stop
Oh let's just stop to adore
Why
Is it so hard
To make the right choice
09 Out of Sight (03:55)
Tell me why
Do you always forgive the things I do to you
You're too good
Or am I not too bad
Those six years
Were the best that ever happened to me and you
No regrets after all this fear
We'll always be best friends
Something between you and me
We'll always be best friends
Something between you and me
So tell me why
I can't find any satisfaction somewhere else
Not good enough
Or am I way too bad
Cause those six years
I consumed all your energy
And I didn't replace
Sad enough
I can't give you what you need
We'll always be best friends
Something between you and me
We'll always be best friends
Something between you and me
We'll always be best friends
Something between you and me
We'll always be best friends
Something between you and me
Six years
Such a long time
I can't give you what you need
Six years
Such a long time
Something special between you and me
You and me
We'll always be best friends
Something between you and me
We'll always be best friends
Something between you and me
We'll always be best friends
Something between you and me
We'll always be best friends
Something between you and me
10 Pink Fluffy Dinosaurs (03:50)
Electro screens of light
And poppy-colored brights
I'm floating on air
Pink fluffy dinosaurs
Tremendously hardcore
I'm floating again
This fake fir place
Won't warm my soul nor face
But still I'm floating
Again
Hypnosis releases brakes
Make you do things you usually fake
It makes you float
Again
Those bitten by the wild
Will live on
But those who used to bite
Have gone
Golden mirror on the wall
Will make our lives less dull
We'll be floating through the day
All our money's almost gone
But still we live the life we want
We are floating through the day
Those bitten by the wild
Will live on
But those who used to bite
Have gone
11 L'Odeur Animale (03:47)
Feel the need to wonder
Inside
Fulfill your basic needs
Deep inside
We wander by the lake of tears
And smell the odor of our fear
Inside
Deep inside
All these creepy things crawling
Deep inside
Feel the urge to grow
Inside
Our world is covered with clouds
Deep inside
We wander by our ocean of tears
We try to hide our frozen fear
Inside
Deep inside
All these creepy things crawling
Deep inside
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