Two years after Sketches On Sea, Sophie Hunger has made a giant leap forward on her second album recorded between Lausanne and Brussels. She has not lost her ear for miniature landscapes (from the sweet and sour folk of Sophie Hunger Blues to the piano waltz of Walzer Für Niemand), Monday's Ghost sees the 25 year old singer exploring new directions and bringing a stunning fullness to her compositions. Trombone, flute and vibraphone tastefully decorate some songs (Shape, Drainpipes) while the dru...
Two years after Sketches On Sea, Sophie Hunger has made a giant leap forward on her second album recorded between Lausanne and Brussels. She has not lost her ear for miniature landscapes (from the sweet and sour folk of Sophie Hunger Blues to the piano waltz of Walzer Für Niemand), Monday's Ghost sees the 25 year old singer exploring new directions and bringing a stunning fullness to her compositions. Trombone, flute and vibraphone tastefully decorate some songs (Shape, Drainpipes) while the drums and percussions bring a light pop-rock feel to the more upbeat numbers (The Tourist, Teenage Spirit).
Produced by Marcello Giuliani, well known for his work with respected artists such as Erik Truffaz and The Young Gods, but also with a good number of French legends (Etienne Daho, Jane Birkin, Henri Salvador), Monday's Ghost is the work of a singer who has matured without losing her innocent purity. The songwriting is intense, diverse and opened to harmonic changes, as showcased in Rise And Fall, it is deep and aerial, twirling and elegiac. And then, there's that voice... An amazing, colorful flash of an organ, subtly layered, from a whisper in the noise to a grand scream echoing in the silence. Alone or supported by stellar backing vocals, Sophie Hunger's vocals carry her emotions with a new found confidence, leading up to the fascinating counterpoint of Spiegelbild, a dry, slow duet with Stephan Eicher. Sophie Hunger's texts can be seen as introspective, but remain open to an ambivalent interpretation, a dialog with a hidden alter ego, be it hers or the listeners. An impressionist's views on our world, ripe with vivid images and scorching poetry.
Even more than the blossoming of a genuine talent, Monday's Ghost imposes a true personality. If the listener can see a faint resemblance to Cat Power or Bob Dylan, Sophie Hunger never succumbs to the pitfalls of plagiarism, stays clear of a comfortable disciple status and sends her song on roads never travelled before. This is songwriting at it's most personal. Authentic, atypical and utterly fascinating.
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