Sound Check — Geoff Carter: Adaptable Hooverphonic fries it twice

Friday, Oct. 27, 2000 | 9:53 a.m.

Geoff Carter's music column appears Fridays in the Sun. Reach him at geoff.carter@vegas.com.

Hooverphonic misses Jeff Buckley, too. I can hear the late singer/songwriter crooning "Mojo Pin" in the distant background when I call Hooverphonic's Alex Callier in Chicago. The keyboardist and arranger for the Belgian pop trio truly loves music, talking up a string of favorites from Lisa Germano to KISS to "Pet Sounds."

"On the tour bus, we go from Slayer to ABBA, then to David Sylvian when we go to sleep," says Callier. "Then we play very melancholic music, and everyone leaves but me because they can't cope with the sadness."

Don't be fooled; Callier is anything but miserable. Like Buckley, Callier transposes his blue moods to sheet music and traps them there. Freed thus, the author of the beautifully wistful "Battersea" -- a personal favorite -- floats lighter than air. One of the most impassioned parts of the interview comes when Callier talks up Belgian french fries, which he holds over their inferior American counterparts.

"You know what the secret is?" says Callier. "We fry them twice."

Somewhere in that braggadocio is a metaphor that describes Hooverphonic's new record, "The Magnificent Tree." It's crispier! It's crunchier! It's twice as filling! It's ... oh, for crying out loud. I'm talking about french fries here. At any rate, "The Magnificent Tree" finds Hooverphonic eager to please. And the french fry gap notwithstanding, "Magnificent Tree" is practically tailored to fit American ears. "We're really satisfied with the record," says Callier. "It's the first one we really feel is as it should be. It took us more than a year to get it on ... I wanted to say 'on vinyl!' It took a lot of energy and time, but it's really a cool album -- more positive.

"When we made the 'Blue Wonder Powder Milk' album, there was quite a lot of tension, you know, because me and Frank -- the keyboard player at that time -- didn't get along very well. He left and I felt more relaxed, and I think you can hear that on the album."

Indeed you can. A looser and more accessible record than its predecessors, "The Magnificent Tree" sizzles (ha! I knew I'd work fries in somehow) with flirty lyrics, savvy beats and good humor. From the string-rich R&B cooker "Mad About You" to the playful "Pink Fluffy Dinosaurs," Hooverphonic sounds like it's having the time of its life.

That's not to say that the deep blue invention that shaped "Battersea" has been lost. Vocalist Geike Arnaert vamps her way through the spy-movie twists and turns "Jacky Cane" with a pouty menace one wouldn't have expected from the staid "Powder Milk." Callier and guitarist Raymond Geerts make sure she's got solid ground to strut and karate-kick her way across.

It's a proper calling card for a band that recently recorded its first soundtrack, for the Mickey Rourke comedy "Shades." Callier is unsure if there's more soundtrack in the band's future, but hastens to add, "Whenever David Lynch or Tim Burton want my help, they can call me."

Hooverphonic plays the Hard Rock Joint with techno whiz kid BT Sunday night at 8. All Vegas and Hollywood is invited to attend. You won't need fries with this dish.