From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V16 #670 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Monday, January 28 2013 Volume 16 : Number 670 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Anneke van Giersbergen [Rolf Peukert ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:15:08 +0100 From: Rolf Peukert Subject: Re: Anneke van Giersbergen Am 26.01.2013 um 23:40 schrieb Karen Hester : > Everything is Changing - Anneke van Giersbergen > > One of my 2012 obsessions - an excellent melodic > pop/hard-rock/not-quite-metal album. Dutch Anneke used to sing in The > Gathering, who were gothic metal, then alternative > trip-rock-experiemental-whatever, and the melodies became more > obscure. She left to make two patchy albums of more conventional > music. And now, the third, and most conventional of all. > > The ballads "Circles" and the title track are lovely, but they aren't > the point. Rocking is the point. Very catchy rocking with as many > hooks as the best pop songs. The passionate and beautiful "My Boy" > manages to be a caring song about her young son at the same time as > inducing head-banging. It rocks. "Take Me Home" manages to be > amazingly sexy despite the lyrics "Dude I like/ I hope we can get > together someday." And it rocks. Every song is catchy and emotional > and rocking, and several have simplistic or Hallmark lyrics, but did I > mention they rock? > > I went mad giving stars to these songs in iTunes - 5 stars on most of > your bellies, Sneetches! I shall take away their stars just so I can > give them again. > > Naff video to "Take Me Home" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu0ZWRKgi_E Yay, she's also my obsession in 2012. I saw her play live in May and bought the 'Everything is changing' after the show. I totally agree with your review, I even think the album is almost too catchy and radio-friendly in some places. Later I got her first "solo" album, Air by Agua de Annique (as she called her band then). It is much darker in mood, mostly piano-driven, but I find it more intense. OK, some of the lyrics (like 'You Are Nice') may be a bit simplistic, but tracks like 'Ice Water', 'Sunken Soldiers Ball' or 'Lost and Found' can give me goosebumps. Anyway, Anneke's got a fantastic voice and can sing almost anything, from opera http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ZbkEErTMs blues-y rock http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX-3o54hu_U to some british indie artist whose name escapes me at the moment :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rs7ARvgV4U In the live performance I was most impressed with the effortless way she delivers even the more demanding songs like 'Saturnine'. IIRC she'll play in Chicago in March. ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V16 #670 ***************************