It wasn’t too long ago that the practice of selling your music to an advertising agency was looked down upon; only recently have people stopped crying sellout. Whether this is because everyone’s doing it now, or because advertising business arrangements often offer the artist a better deal than their own record companies is anyone’s guess.

In the latest wave of advertisements-as-samplers, Hooverphonic got into the game fairly early. Volkswagen had found marketing gold with the agency they’d hired to promote the New Beetle, an advertising success approaching that of the original Beetle campaign. Utilizing tracks from the Orb, Stereolab and Fluke, the campaign’s music was just as important as the visuals in communicating the message: flower power, the next generation. One of VW’s follow-up projects was to boost sales of the new car by introducing “limited edition” colours to the lineup.

Hooverphonic’s biggest success to date had been “2 Wicky,” from A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular, but since that debut album’s release the band had switched vocalists and moved into more ethereal territory with Blue Wonder Power Milk. Today, you’re far more likely to recognize the dreamy sounds of “Renaissance Affair,” thanks to the song’s use in VW’s ad for the new vapor blue New Beetle. It was a perfect fit for the ad’s final shot: sunset on the edge of a canyon, clear skies ahead.

The entire album is great for the late summer, the best time to appreciate those long sunkissed late evenings just as they disappear into autumn. This probably works better if you’re on the west coast, of course.