Pipaluk & Cecilie Supernova

Country of origin:

Denmark

Type of music generally:

Edgy alternative rock

Status:

Most recent release, "Juleskriget" (Christmas single, 2010); most recent full-length release, Sorry the number you've dialed has been disconnected (2002)

See also:

CD Baby's Pipaluk & Cecilie Supernova page

Comparisons:

Mecca Normal? Pooka? Happy Rhodes in vocal texture

Covers/own material:

Own

General comments:

Supernova consists of two girls, Cecilie and Pipaluk, and their music is heavily based on the blend of their voices—to some degree it reminds me of some of Happy Rhodes' early music, with her use of both the upper and lower registers of her voice, accompanied by relatively simple instrumental structures.
     The instrumental part of Supernova's music consists [at least live and on the Call Now disc] entirely of their guitars (acoustic and/or electric, sometimes both playing, sometimes just one of them), typically played in a fairly abrupt manner. Most of the time, the guitars are fairly subdued, but on one song, at least, Pipaluk makes a fair attempt at out-hendrixing Hendrix.... ;-)
     It would probably be fairly easy for Supernova to become more mainstream acceptable if they added some drums and synths to take the edge off their music—I hope they won't do that, though, because the stark instrumental backgrounds are exactly what makes their vocals stand out so well....
     So, what do they sound like? Hmm, difficult question! I've already mentioned Happy Rhodes' early music, not so much in exact vocal sound (or lyrical contents) as in, um, vocal texture(???)—the way the two voices are used together. An other comparison might be The Story—though not nearly as polished, there's a lot more edge to Supernova. Another aspect is that some parts of their performance is almost spoken word, rather than singing—a little like Anne Clark's style (though not nearly as dark! :-)), rather than Ingrid Chavez'.... (jbr@casetech.dk) Intriguing pop-rock duo from Denmark. They would remind me of Mecca Normal, but their singing is never as harsh as Jean Smith's, nor does their guitar work stand up to the amazing things Mecca Normal does. But still...you can't dismiss them, because the guitar really isn't what they're about. It's the voices and their interaction, rather like an edgier Pooka.
     Though they're from Copenhagen, they sing in English. Their lyrics are not wildly wonderful, but not bad either. What I really like about them is the way their voices sometimes circle around each other. They play off each other, which is great.
     They're definitely someone to look out for—I think they'll have an interesting future and I will certainly seek out their work in the future. (Neile)

Comments about live performance:

It's also worth mentioning Supernova's scene show, as they are definitely unusual—just *slightly* crazy! ;-) For instance, at the first concert I saw, Cecilie decided to emulate Michelle Pfeiffer and proceeded to drape herself across the piano—however this was an upright piano, and Cecilie was balancing on the keyboard cover while singing.... :-) Also, in the break between sets, Supernova runs their 'love counseling service'—sort of an inverse mentalist act, where a blindfolded Cecilie tries to advise members of the audience in love trouble; it usually turns into a cross-examination of innocent members of the audience. Don't stand too close to the scene during this, by the way, or you might get hit by Cecilie's mirror chain (the microphones are in a decidedly unenviable position!).... ;-)
     I've seen Supernova in concert three times; the second time was a midnight concert in a church in occasion of the release of Call Now—great setting! They have been steadily improving during the half year since I saw them the first time (though the first concert I saw was great fun, there were a couple of bad blunders—such as starting out in the wrong key in one song); the church concert was very well polished (if, sadly, a little brief) and the latest I saw was also pretty good (the performance itself was very good, but unfortunately the audience was terrible—it was in a bar and the majority of the audience couldn't be bothered to even applaud the singers; a lot of people were nattering away all during the concert :-(). Also, their scene setup is getting more advanced—the first time I saw Supernova, they had a single sound technician and practically no light show—the last time I think there were three technicians and quite a few visual effects....
     they are definitely a band worth seeing live.... Enjoy! (12/94, jbr@casetech.dk)

Recommended first album:

leave a message

Recordings:

• Call Now (c. 1994)
• leave a message (1996)
• Sorry the number you've dialed has been disconnected (2002)
• "Juleskriget" (Christmas single, 2010)

Call Now

Release info:

c. 1994—AGM Music

Availability:

Most likely out of print by now

Ecto priority:

Recommended if the description sounds good to you

Group members:

Pipaluk & Cecilie—vocals, guitar

Produced by:

Hansen

Comments:

Of the sampler's ten songs (only nine are listed), I quite like five of them. Musically, it's stripped down, just vocals and guitar. It's hard to describe who or what they're like—I've heard their guitar licks before, but not voices used quite the way they do. They're a little like Pooka in one sense, but they're not doing folk or folkrock music and have more mature voices than Pooka do. It's the way they sing with each other, I guess. (Neile)

leave a message

Release info:

1996—Virgin Records (Denmark)—ECPN 7342 8 41496 2 8

Availability:

Denmark

Ecto priority:

Recommended if the description sounds good to you

Group members:

Pipaluk—vocals, guitars, keyboard
Cecilie—vocals, guitar, keyboard

Guest artists:

Troels Bech—backing vocals, guitar, bass, lap-steel, keyboards, programming
Tomas Ortved—drums
Hansen—drumtracks, programming on 2 tracks
Niels Rønne, Joachim Michaelis—keyboards on 1 track

Produced by:

Pipaluk& Cecilie Supernova and Troels Bech

Comments:

Their overall sound is far more complicated and sophisticated than in their first collection. I particularly like "Gold" which is a trio with Troels Bech whose deep voice adds a nice counterpoint, and "Time Part II". (Neile)

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