An April March

Country of origin:

Canada

Type of music generally:

Ethereal alternative

Status:

The 1999 ep, ...something once true, is always true..., is their final recording. Final full-length album, It Goes Without Saying (1997). Band members are now playing out as redhotred with a different musical style.

See also:

Wikipedia's entry for An April March

An April March fan page

Comparisons:

First The Moon Seven Times disc, Hex, Cocteau Twins, Siddal. (Neile)

Covers/own material:

Own

General comments:

Crunchy yet flowing music, swirling vocals. Their songwriting is a little uneven—but that's only apparent because their good songs are outstanding. Apparent the ...something once true, is always true... ep is the last we'll be hearing from An April March as their sound is shifting and any further releases will be coming out under another name. I can't say I'm too sad, as while I've always liked their releases only a few of their songs stick in my mind—my impression of them is mostly just a haze of pleasant, dreamy electronic pop. Not a bad thing, but those few excellent songs make me think a change of direction might be a good thing. However, I do highly recommend their An April March recordings to any fans of ethereal music. They do it well. (Neile)

They're in that dreamy, ethereal mode, but mellower, less intense than the Cocteau Twins. None of the songs particularly stands out, but their albums are solid and enjoyable. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Recommended first album:

Instruments of Lust and Fury

Recordings:

• Impatiens (1993)
• Instruments of Lust and Fury (EP, 1995)
• Lessons in Vengeance (1995)
• Adagio (EP, 1996)
• It Goes Without Saying (1997)
• ...something once true, is always true... (single, 1999)

Recommended for lovers of ethereal vocals. (Neile)

Group members:

Danella Hocevar—voice, guitar
Michael Klug—drums
Robert Lambke—bass guitar, guitar
Christopher Perry—guitar, keyboards

Produced by:

An April March

Comments:

This is a pleasant and musically interesting disc. Not as outstanding as Instruments of Lust and Fury. (Neile)

High for lovers of ethereal with a rough edge. (Neile)

Group members:

Danella Hocevar—voice, bass, guitar
Michael Klug—drums
Christopher Perry—guitars

Produced by:

An April March

Comments:

Highly recommended. The band really seems to have found its feet. This has some wonderful, outstanding songs that stick in your mind. "Dossier" and "Clench" are among the year's best songs. Delectable. (Neile)

Lessons In Vengeance

Release info:

1995—Bedazzled Records—BDZ 28

Availability:

Probably out of print, as label has closed

Ecto priority:

Recommended only for ethereal music fans. (Neile)

Group members:

Danella Hocevar—vocals, guitar, bass
Michael Klug—drums
Christopher Perry—guitars, programming
Andrew Starling—bass

Produced by:

Christopher Perry

Comments:

This is a pleasant disc, but none of the songs really catch my attention the way the songs on both eps, Instruments of Lust and Fury and Adagio do. (Neile)

Haven't listened to it in a while, but I did buy it based on what I heard of it (was playing at the record store). I do seem to recall it impressed me less with repeated listenings. (foghornj@earthlink.net)

Adagio (E.P.)

Release info:

1996—Bedazzled Records

Availability:

Limited Edition

Ecto priority:

High for lovers of ethereal music

Group members:

Danella Hocevar—vocals, guitar, bass
Michael Klug—percussion
Christopher Perry—guitars, bass, programming

Comments:

They seem to do better with their eps than their full-length collections—at least as far as stand-out songs go. This is lovely. (Neile)

It Goes Without Saying

Release info:

1997—Bedazzled Records—BDZ 35

Availability:

Probably out of print, as label has closed

Ecto priority:

High for lovers of ethereal music

Group members:

Danella Hocevar—vocals, guitar, bass guitar
Michael Klüg—sonar drums
Christopher Perry—guitar, bass guitar, programming

Comments:

More of their ethereal rock—lovely vocals over swirling, guitar with some crunchy beats. If you like this type of music and their previous work you will like this. (Neile)

...something once true, is always true...

Release info:

1999—Bedazzled Records—Bedazzled Singles Club Release Volume 1, Number 1

Availability:

Limited edition

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended for fans of An April March, and ethereal pop

Group members:

Danella Hocevar—12 string, vocals
Michael Klug—drums
Christopher Perry—guitar, bass, sampler

Guest artists:

James McIntyre—vocals on "Low"
Roger Lavellee—guitar on "Life is Long, Still"

Comments:

Apparent this is the last we'll be hearing from An April March as their sound is shifting and any further releases will be coming out under another name. I can't say I'm too sad, as while I've liked their releases there have only ever been occasional songs that were able to stick in my mind—mostly just a haze of pleasant, dreamy electronic pop.
     This ep is four cuts, two regular band songs (one of which is a Chris Isaak cover), one with James McIntyre dueting with Danella Hocevar, and one live cut (with lots of crowd noise unfortunately) where she and Roger Lavallee do one of his songs. A must for An April March fans, and recommended for anyone who likes ethereal rock. (Neile)

I really like the Chris Isaak cover, "Wicked Game"—they manage to keep the spirit, but still make it their own. (jmgurley@drizzle.com)

Thanks to Damon Harper for work on this entry.