The Ideal Husband - No Bye No Aloha (2008)

The Ideal Husband, contrary to popular belief, is female. In this case, two women are involved: Belgian Sandrine Collard (music and lyrics) and Swedish Louise Peterhoff (singer/dancer). When they met in Brussels, Sandrine had already released an electro album; Louise was a professional dancer with contemporary dance company Needcompany.

They talked at length about their common love for Ry Cooder, Gabby Pahinuï and Hawaiian music in general. When Sandrine discovered that Louise had an incredible singing voice, she decided to write an entire album for her. In the spring of 2007, they recorded their collection of fresh, sweet and soothing songs. Although the concept of a Belgian and a Swedish girl composing Hawaiian music mixed with folk elements might look weird on paper, they ended up recording the perfect antidote to stressful and busy European city life. Their songs started circulating, drawing the attention of publisher Strictly Confidential and Le Botanique, one of Belgium’s leading concert venues. They invited the girls and their band to play their first gig. What the audience heard and saw that night seemed to come straight from a Tarrantino or Lynch film: a young sixties surfer girl backed by four musicians whose path of life had visibly involved great deals of alcohol, unfaithful women and possibly prison.


The ritornello HD from Idealhusband on Vimeo.

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