The Bell - Great Heat
Album Review: The Bell – Great Heat
04.21.11
by Lance Burson
I was driving in the car with my fifteen year old daughter. She was switching radio stations. One channel was playing ’80s music, the next channel was playing ’90s. She kept the channel on the ’90s station, as The Stone Roses Love Spreads played, and said “I don’t get why you and mom listen to that ’80s music. They had a lot more to say in the ’90s.”
From the mouth of a babe gave me the realization that influences matter as much as musicianship.
The new album, Great Heat, from Sweden-based indie-pop group The Bell was released last week. You will find yourself familiar with the music, as two of the band’s songs, “Today”, and “What Ever Did You Say” have been featured in commercials and television shows since February. The Bell’s synth-driven alternative-pop wants to be The Cure and The Smiths, but sounds like the band’s heaviest influence, Depeche Mode. They copy a lot of Depeche Mode’s dreamy choruses and drum machine punctuations.
The three-piece band is made of Nicklas Nilsson, Mathias Stromberg and Jan Petterson. Stromberg does most of the vocals. My cousin is a die-hard Depeche Mode fan and also digs The Bell. Listening to “Today”, “Whatever Did You Say”, and “I Can’t Change” one can’t help but think of 1980′s English synthesizer music that filled the walls of every dance club.
Great Heat is a bland follow-up to the more ambitious Make Some Quiet. There’s no new ground broken with Great Heat‘s songs. The flow is also uneven at time, going from “Today”‘s cool comfort to “I Can’t Change”‘s sturm and drang.
The Bell’s record isn’t bad. It’s actually kind of good. The record sounds transitional, perhaps because the alternative pop music is so easily compared to older stuff. If you’re a fan of dreamy ’80s throwback synth-pop without much to say, this is a record you’ll enjoy.
Editor’s Note: Lance Burson is a contributor to DeadJournalist.com. He also writes his own blog which you can read here and you can follow him on Twitter: @TLanceB.
