The Magnificent Tree
If you've been following the career of this Belgian trio, you've seen them go from trip-hop (on their debut,A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular) to trip-pop (1998'sBlue Wonder Power Milk), pitting fan against fan in the process. One thing's for sure:The Magnificent Treeonly adds wood to the fire. The "trip" has all but left the pop, leaving behind an assortment of solid, radio-friendly tunes, but hardly anything with the character and charm of their earlier work. It's too bad, really, because though there's some real ear candy here, it's lost in the crinkly wrapper of predictable arrangements and vapid lyrics. Geike Arnaert, given to ethereal coolness onMilk, chooses a more out-front, sultry vocal style onTree, and while it works on the uncharacteristically rockin' "Jacky Cane" and the torchy "Vinegar & Salt," elsewhere ("Mad About You," "Everytime We Live Together," and the embarrassingly treacly "Out of Sight") it just rings false--too slick for its own good. Touches of the old style appear here and there, notably on the atmospheric, sample-infused "Autoharp" and the dreamy,Dubstar-like "Waves," but they promise more than the rest of the album can deliver. It may be a solid, sturdyTree, but it's a few branches short of magnificence.--Steve Landau