Search - Bell X1 :: Flock

They've done it again. The big question: when are these guys

Jennifer Jackson | Tennessee | 04/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard Bell X1's cover of Justin Timberlake's "Like I Love You" on the in-store CD at the clothing store where I work. Intrigued by the interpretation of a well-known pop song, I scoured the Internet to find out who had created the cover, and soon discovered it was done by an Irish band called Bell X1. At that point, none of their albums were available in the States (and to date, Music in Mouth is the only one that is) and I decided to wait until my upcoming visit to the UK to buy them rather than pay the import prices. I was further intrigued by the fact that Damien Rice, one of my favorite songwriters, was a former member, back when the band was known as Jupiter.

Upon arrival in the UK last year, I purchased both Bell X1 albums on impulse, having never heard anything other than their Timberlake cover. I instantly fell in love with both Neither Am I and Music in Mouth, and when I returned home I shared the music with all of my friends.

When I found out the the band was releasing a new album, I knew that chances were it would be several months or even a year or more before it became available on my side of the pond, and since I was craving more music from the Bell boys, I knew I couldn't wait that long, so I forked over the import price. And I have not been disappointed.

While Neither Am I remains my favorite of their albums, Bell X1 have done it again with Flock.

It's simply a musical masterpiece, layering innovative rhythms, haunting melodies, and spine-tingling arrangements to create a sound that delights and saddens all at once. On a cloudy day, Bell X1 is often my go-to band for the perfect soundtrack for the day, and now, with Flock, they are quickly becoming my go-to band on any day.

I have seen many comparisons between them and Radiohead, and I definitely agree with them, and only hope that these guys attain the following that Radiohead has developed worldwide, because they are equally deserving of it. I love them more with every song I hear, and I tell everyone I know about them because I believe they are masters of their craft.

I only hope that one day they will do a US tour; otherwise, I'll simply have to travel back to the British Isles to see them live!"

Fed up with U2 then why not try BELL X1?

lamposts | 04/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Many people probably now know that Radiohead take their name from a Talking Heads song. What far fewer folk have a handle on is how to join the dots between the two bands. It seems simple enough - art rock old and new - but where Talking Heads grew ever outwards, encompassing the world music frontman David Byrne would nurture on his Luaka Bop label, Radiohead have become increasingly insular bedroom boffins since "OK Computer". With "Flock", their third album but only the second to get a British release, Ireland's Bell X1 have unearthed the missing musical link - and it's marvellous.



Pixies were a huge influence on early Radiohead and there's a steal from "Nimrod's Son" on "He Said She Said" here, but it's a brief dalliance. Rather than aping the stop-start dynamics of Black Francis, "Flock" has a poise rare in a modern record, in a pop world of bluster, sweat and too many notes. It's restrained and delicate, its power slowly becoming apparent over the course of the 11 tracks on offer. Much of the credit must go to singer Paul Noonan. His voice unites elements of Byrne's intensity, Thom Yorke's range and even Ian Curtis' mania at moments but there's an undertone of deep sorrow that's entirely individual and improbably moving, even with the least emotive of the lyrics.



Don't expect rabble-rousing declarations or faux-poetic posturing - there's a socially-conscious mind at work here, as troubled by the bigger picture as it is by romantic entanglements. So opener "Reacharound" invokes prostitutes - in order to draw a parallel to politics, while "Just Like Mr Benn" ponders whether an internet relationship could survive in real life - "What if I appeared as if by magic? / Just like in Mr Benn".



Meanwhile, "Bad Skin Day" and closing track "Lamposts" provide slow-burn anthems Embrace would envy. The latter fades away to nothing then comes back stronger for a haunting mass chorus of "I've been walking you / Into those lampposts again / I'd rather do that / Than let go of your hand." The twinkling, hypnotic shuffle of "Bad Skin Day", with its refrain of "Someday we'll all wear a crown" is magnificent, the kind of song that, through its arrangement alone, could make you weep.



On "Natalie", Noonan sings: "History is written by the winners / And I want my say." What this eloquent album says, quietly and articulately, is that while Radiohead will - of their own volition - never make another album like "OK Computer", Bell X1, if they carry on in this vein, may well create its equal. "Flock" really is that good."