Bloodless Coup

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Total Tracks: 11   Total Length: 55:09

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Amelia Raitt

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Amelia Raitt is a former writer for the television program Mr. Belvedere and has been writing about pop music of all colors and stripes for eMusic since 2005. S...more »

03.30.11
BellX1, Bloodless Coup
2011 | Label: Yep Roc Records / Redeye

On their fifth LP, Ireland's Bell X1 make rock music that can be as bombastically arena-ready as Muse or the Killers ("Velcro"), as intense-but-contained as The National ("Nightwatchmen," "The Trailing Skirts of Love"), and as weird as Beck (the start of "Haloumi"). The biggest differentiator from those acts, though, is the synths and electronic effects — spacey in album opener "Hey Anna Lena," and ready for the dancefloor in "Safe Than Love" and "4 Minute Mile." That they mix and match these elements makes the group tough to pin down, which ultimately works to their advantage.

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Taking a page from 2009’s Blue Lights on the Runway, Bell X1’s fifth album continues to mix nervy electronics with anthemic pop/rock, resulting in ten brainy, quirky epics that target the heart as well as the head. Much has been made of Bell X1’s status as the second-biggest band in Ireland, and they certainly sound like it, with songs that swing for the cheap seats and melodies that bear more than a few similarities to the U2 songbook. The group finds a balance between electronic programming and organic instruments on Bloodless Coup, sidestepping the problems that plagued U2’s Pop by using synthesizers and drum machines to enhance, not dominate, the songs. The lyrics are often tongue-in-cheek, with Paul Noonan singing about humdrum topics like haloumi cheese, YouTube videos, and McDonalds, but the music is panoramic and gorgeous throughout. – Andrew Leahey

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