The View From Madeleine's Couch

“Mark Henman’s percussive fluidity is immediately mesmerizing…..when the group abandon the tune to really get on board the rhythmic foundations Henman is conjuring, the crowd is dancing with their eyes glued to the stage, a look of pure hypnotised glee on their faces.
…..the bond between band and audience is dense with mutual love and admiration. Young and old bodies mingle in a musical space tasting distinctly of Latin America. Rapturous applause greets every glorious cadenza, every hot solo and every thrilling dynamic peak – of which there are many!”

- Greg Gottlieb, Footprints Music Management

Madeleine's Couch are one of the most exciting live acts I've ever seen across all genres of music. They look like they're effortlessly channeling immense energy and the sound that hits your ears is just filled to the brim with beauty. The music is intricate and exudes stunning creativity - but they still manage to just plain rock out!

Greg Gottlieb, Music Journalist


.... the striking thing about The View From Madeleine’s Couch is that every member is as good as the others and all of you feature in the music. NO ONE plays in the background which is what I find intoxicating about your sound.

I can write very convincing letters whenever I believe in something. So, you tell me, who do I need to write to that can help you share more of your magic with the world?

Anje I could write pages on your amazing voice - how it's not mainstream and predictable, but unique with a fine sensitivity that gives the music wings.

Mark Henman, well... I'm a drummer so I can appreciate his playing perhaps a little more than the other musicians. Not only does Mark (Jedi drummer!!) play fast like he has four arms instead of two, but far out - he is so creative as well. Once again your musician is doing something different without the slightest indication that he's over-performing.

Kym by using the vibraphone you have lifted the band into a dimension beyond 99% of other groups. You make a keyboard inferior and unnecessary. Honestly, who wants to hear another keyboard being played after they hear and see you perform! You're a Jedi too, buddy.

Your guitarist and bass player are equally outstanding. At any time during almost all of your songs, one can choose to listen to either of these guys and hear a great solo going on but while the rest of the band are still playing. Every member of The View From Madeleine’s Couch is integral and any one of them would be missed when they're not performing with you.

Rick Attard, a new fan.

The concert was wonderful. The energy you create is so upbeat and positive that I wish I could bottle and share it with everyone who isn't lucky enough to hear you in person so they could feel what you gave to all of us. You're all wonderful musicians but not only that, you really connect with your audience which is obvious from the amount of applause you received on the night.
.... your CD will always be close at hand. Whenever I listen to it, I'm transported to a place of warmth and happiness and I thank you for that wonderful gift.

Maggie Wilde
- Various

Casa da Boa Vida – Review by Noel Mengel. Four Stars

The first hint of summer is in the air and this Queensland-based band certainly plays music that plays like a summer soundtrack.

They have been on a quest, into the music, the language and the hearts of the people of Brazil and Casa da Boa Vida sparkles with the vitality and sensuality always associated with that country’s music.

Founders and musical and life partners Anje West (vocals) and Kym Ambrose (vibes), have made several trips to explore Brazil and its music, and were joined by band members Owen Newcomb (bass) and Mark Henman (drums), in Rio for gigs and writing sessions for this second album. It was worth the trip.

The album begins with Aldeia de Ogum by Joyce, the Brazilian singer who has been a constant inspiration to West. It’s a suitable tribute, with the supple rhythms and grace of Brazilian style.

But elsewhere the writing skills of the band in various combinations is up to that high standard, from the sunny but insistent groove of G.T. (as in gin and tonic – it has that kind of cruising-in-the-afternoon- feel) to the late-night romantic flavour of Mais do Que Amor and the hypnotic pulse of Catete.

West an Ambrose say Brazil has taught them to live in the moment and to trust their instinct, and Casa da Boa Vida shows their instinct for this kind of music is as authentic as can be.

For a taste, try Bom Fazer, the kind of uplifting anthem that sounds like a club hit in-waiting. DJs, spin this and watch that dance floor fill up.
- Noel Mengel, The Courier Mail head music writer

“The acclaimed Brazilian music ensemble's special musical gift has finally been blended into a beautiful and incredibly stunning album.....Tranquilo oozes sensuality...Get yourself a copy before there is none left. This is brilliant”. - Map Magazine

"Each year I pick a favorite band..... and this year the View From Madeleine's Couch put on the gig of their lives…..it was Kym and Anje who stole the show, and for my money, that was for the whole of Woodford Festival. I don't know if it was the edginess of the important performance or the new found connections from having been in Brazil but Kym's sweet, beautifully phrased solos and ultra tasteful accompaniments were sublime.
Anje was just squeezing every bit of sensuousness out of the songs, and the highlight for me was probably when she trumped into the Surdo drum like the brassiest Mama of all and let the audience have it with "Mama Africa". The gusto was muito as she pounded out the samba and her rich voice swooped through the melody. Her biggest smile took me straight back to Floresta in Rio.
It was a beautiful, swooping, gorgeous Brasilian show, with all the pace and sweet gutsiness of the real thing. It was the real thing". - Jim Chapman, Lecturer in Music, Q.U.T.

“The acclaimed Brazilian music ensemble's special musical gift has finally been blended into a beautiful and incredibly stunning album.....Tranquilo oozes sensuality...Get yourself a copy before there is none left. This is brilliant”. - Map Magazine

World Beat Festival, The Powerhouse, 2003
“Anje doesn’t only pick up a foreign song making it her own, she draws from aspects of Brazilian culture and really engages with them………..the sensuality and vibrancy of her style mixes well with the rhythm of Samba, transporting you to the heart of Rio de Janeiro. Her singing channels the soul of the music into a very pleasant experience.”
- Media Culture

World Beat Festival, The Powerhouse, 2003
“Anje doesn’t only pick up a foreign song making it her own, she draws from aspects of Brazilian culture and really engages with them………..the sensuality and vibrancy of her style mixes well with the rhythm of Samba, transporting you to the heart of Rio de Janeiro. Her singing channels the soul of the music into a very pleasant experience.”
- Media Culture

“…West's vocals are sublime - as warm and as romantic as a summer evening–complemented by Ambrose's elegant vibraphone feel. The band is swept along by the intricate, swinging grooves of drummer Mark Henman (see the jazzy ‘Berimbau’); while tunes like the original ‘Nossa Familia’, with its string quartet introduction, show how at one this band is with their inspiration. Not everyone has the chance to get to Rio. But ‘Tranquilo’ can certainly give you a taste of the country's exotic flavour.
Four Stars **** - The Courier Mail

Jane Costessi:

Conveying the elegance and carefree spirit of bossa nova, the (slightly subdued) energy of samba, and a bit of samba reggae & jazz, Tranquilo’s cohesion is developed through some distinctive features. The album’s hallmarks are its delicate and uncluttered song arrangements, West’s sweetly plangent voice (singing mostly in fluid Portuguese), and Ambrose’s skilled vibraphone playing. It’s not often that vibes feature in Brazilian music, and here their melodic infusion is truly gorgeous. Lovely too, are the string quartet arrangements featured on some songs, and used to create a beautifully lush opening on Nossa Familia, one of the standout original compositions. - Music Forum, Journal of the Music Council of Australia

Jane Costessi:

Conveying the elegance and carefree spirit of bossa nova, the (slightly subdued) energy of samba, and a bit of samba reggae & jazz, Tranquilo’s cohesion is developed through some distinctive features. The album’s hallmarks are its delicate and uncluttered song arrangements, West’s sweetly plangent voice (singing mostly in fluid Portuguese), and Ambrose’s skilled vibraphone playing. It’s not often that vibes feature in Brazilian music, and here their melodic infusion is truly gorgeous. Lovely too, are the string quartet arrangements featured on some songs, and used to create a beautifully lush opening on Nossa Familia, one of the standout original compositions. - Music Forum, Journal of the Music Council of Australia

Michael P. Gladstone

Surprises abound in this delightful Brazilian album from an Australian group....TVFMC does a convincing job of sounding very much like home-grown Brazilians and there is no clue that the recording took place halfway around the world from Rio......The attractive and largely uptempo sambas are further enlivened by the energetic vibraphone playing of Kym Ambrose whose multi-mallet work places this firmly in a jazz bossa setting. - All About Jazz

...Kym Ambrose's vibes herald Berimbau, a Brazilian theme sung by Anje West in Portugese. This beguiling music sits easily on the ears and is performed with a gentle touch. Kym delivers a memorable solo and Anje, as always, sings from the heart. - David Bentley

Michael P. Gladstone

Surprises abound in this delightful Brazilian album from an Australian group....TVFMC does a convincing job of sounding very much like home-grown Brazilians and there is no clue that the recording took place halfway around the world from Rio......The attractive and largely uptempo sambas are further enlivened by the energetic vibraphone playing of Kym Ambrose whose multi-mallet work places this firmly in a jazz bossa setting. - All About Jazz

...Kym Ambrose's vibes herald Berimbau, a Brazilian theme sung by Anje West in Portugese. This beguiling music sits easily on the ears and is performed with a gentle touch. Kym delivers a memorable solo and Anje, as always, sings from the heart. - David Bentley