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Avg: 3.5 (53 ratings)
- Date Released: July 25, 2006
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Rock, Pop
- Label: Yep Roc Records / Redeye
Irish combo offer a rush of love to the head
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We Say...
"I could've got a job," sings Paul Noonan in "Bad Skin Day," "I could've been a contender." It's that sense of longing and squandered dreams that powers Flock, the remarkable third record from Irish group BellX1. Combining the shameless grandiosity of Coldplay with the raw-nerve yearning of James, BellX1 have crafted a record that tugs at the heartstrings while soaring choruses raise the goosflesh. Chalk most of that up to Noonan's quavering voice. It slides perfectly in the sluices created by those glistening guitars, and even on darker numbers like "He Said, She Said," when he's hollering "YES I covet my neighbor's wife and/ YES I covet my neighbors goods," it's hard not to sympathize with him. In any other universe, BellX1 would be major label superstars (they were, in fact, on Universal for a split second, but the suits apparently couldn’t figure out how to transform their anthems into radio spins). Which is ridiculous, because Flock is full of the kind of wonder and stadium-size yearning that ought to resonate on a grand scale. To wit: "Bad Skin Day," the song that opens with Noonan bemoaning his status as non-contender, ends with him singing "Someday we'll all grow wings." It's that optimism, that belief in the best despite the appearance of the worst, that makes Flock so stirring and so singularly affecting.
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They Say...
In its earlier incarnation as Juniper, the band that would become known as Bell X1 (then featuring singer Damien Rice) was universally accepted as Ireland's brightest musical prospect. Before their 1998 collapse, they were compared favorably with hometown heroes U2 and the Frames, and with the release of their third and most successful album to date, Flock, the same comparisons have begun to be heard again. With Flock, Bell X1 have stepped out of the shadow of their more illustrious former cohort; for the first time, Rice doesn't have a single writing credit, and the music has taken on more of a unique, identifiable sound from the post-Radiohead rock that typified their first two efforts. Flock opens with a bang, as the energetic pairing of "Reacharound" and single "Flame" clamor for attention with angular art rock riffs and smooth funk rhythms, respectively. That frontman Paul Noonan doubles as the band's studio drummer adds an interesting dimension to Bell X1's compositions, as demonstrated on "Bad Skin Day," where percussion turns the tables and becomes the lead instrument, relegating the soft acoustic guitar sequences to mere accompaniment. Flock's greatest accomplishment, however, is another of its singles. "Rocky Took a Lover," which forced its way onto radio long before it was officially considered as a single, and it's easy to see why: achingly simple in composition, "Rocky" imagines a conversation between a homeless couple: "[She said], 'You're such an asshole when you're drunk'/He said, 'At least I'm OK in the morning.'" Bell X1 don't fit comfortably into any of the pigeonholes of modern indie rock: more down to earth than Radiohead; more fun-loving than Coldplay; and too sophisticated to be lumped in with Franz Ferdinand. Bell X1 occupy a niche all of their own, and long may it continue.
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| 01. |  |
Rocky Took A Lover |
4:10 |
|
| 02. | |
Flame |
3:53 |
|
| 03. | |
Eve, The Apple Of My Eye |
4:02 |
|
| 04. | |
My First Born For A Song |
5:25 |
|
| 05. | |
Bigger Than Me |
3:52 |
|
| 06. | |
Bad Skin Day |
5:56 |
|
| 07. | |
Natalie |
3:54 |
|
| 08. | |
Reacharound |
3:11 |
|
| 09. | |
Just Like Mr. Ben |
4:27 |
|
| 10. | |
He Said, She Said |
4:25 |
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| 11. | |
Trampoline |
4:46 |
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| 12. | |
Lamposts |
7:40 |
|
12 Total Tracks, 55:41 Total Length
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Credits
- Roger Bechirian - Producer // Simon Daniels - Vocals (Background) // Nick Seymour - Vocals (Background) // Ken Rice - Strings // Ken Rice - String Arrangements // Oonagh Keogh - Strings // Rick Levy - Assistant // Louis Roden - Strings // Niall Macken - Vocals (Background) // Scott Burnett - Cover Design // Kathy Aldous - Strings // Philip Hayes - Balance Engineer // Philip Hayes - Tracking // Tommy Kane - Strings // Chris Parmenidis - Mastering // Dario Dendi - Assistant // Una OKane - Strings // Tadhg Cooke - Vocals (Background) // Gavin Glass - Vocals (Background)
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