DeadJournalist.com Exclusive Interviews:
The Bell

EXCLUSIVE Interview: The Bell
Chuck Norton, DeadJournalist.com
02.17.08

MP3: The Bell - On and On

 

What you need to know about The Bell:

- The Bell is an Malmo and Stockholm-based band;
- The band is comprised of Mathias Stromberg, Jan Petterson and Nicklas Nilsson;
- The band's sound has drawn comparisons to '80's post-punk legends The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen, and the Chameleons as well as Interpol and The Mary Onettes;
- The band released their new album Make Some Quiet on February 12, 2008 in the US;
- Their songs have been featured as "songs of the day" by a number of media outlets, most notably, KEXP and NPR;
- The Bell is signed to Badman Recordings in the US and is the first Scandinavian on the label; and
- The band wrote and recorded 35 songs in less than a year leading up to the release of Make Some Quiet.

For more information of The Bell, visit their Web site at www.thebelltheband.com MySpace.com page at www.myspace.com/thebelltheband.

DeadJournalist.com proudly brings you this exclusive interview with Mathais Stromberg of The Bell.

How would you describe the The Bell's sound? And how has it evolved since The Bell formed?

MS: Melodies and harmonies, guitars and electronics. We love the pop song, but from a different angle it is even more beautiful. Like Magnetic Fields, Sufjan Stevens, Maps, Spacemen 3/Spiritualized, Stars or Jesus and Mary Chain, they can all re-use the clichés in a fantastic way.

We want to do our own take on that. To be able to do a three-minute, three-chord pop song and rhyme high / sky / why / try and get away with it because you are so sincere, that seems like a good life to me. And it is also the way soul music and metal has been doing it for ages, so it seems appropriate that the white indie man should have his standards as well...

What were the biggest influences on you during the writing and recording of Make Some Quiet? How long did it take to record?

MS: Influences are difficult to talk about when you reach a certain age of, say, over 30... There is so much that has formed you during the years that you can't really remember what came first anymore. But if I (we) had to pin point a few things, we were definitely influenced by the British eighties indie, early Creation bands (Mary Chain, Primal Scream, Ride, My Bloody Valentine, House of Love, Teenage Fanclub), Factory records (Joy Division/New Order, Cabaret Voltaire) and also Cass McCombs.

It was recorded in four weekend sessions during late 2006 and early 2007 and mixed over six months after that. Since we are residents of two different cities (Malmo and Stockholm) we had no possibility for an "all in one go" recording and mixing, it had to be split up so it became easier to swallow. We also knew early on that we would have guitars and vocals, but the rest electronic, so that certainly narrowed the time frame down. We aren't exactly rock'n'rollers in that sense.

Lyrically, I wanted the words to mean something to me personally, but still be quite universal. The lyrics on our next album will be a lot more concrete, now that we have peoples' attention.

The Bell has been receiving positive critical press in the US which has been causing increasing buzz. Is it encouraging to see that your music is beginning to find an audience in North America?

MS: It certainly is. We always thought there would be listeners in the US. There doesn't seem to be too many bands with our sound around. So it's good to see we are being taken in.

Sweden is known for having a unique music footprint in the pop genre. Where do you feel The Bell fits within the Swedish musical spectrum?

MS: We don't really hang out with bands. Okay, that's not entirely true, we have some roots in the Swedish indie '90's, but nowadays most of our friends are busy making kids and money.

But to name some other contemporary Swedish bands, I think The Radio Dept, Silverbullit (known in the US as Citizen Bird), The Embassy, Studio and The Shout Out Louds are certainly all excellent bands.

Which do you enjoy more, performing live or writing and recording?

MS: Writing and recording. This is where the magic happens for us. We are a studio constellation in a sense. We have been playing live in various groups since the mid-nineties, and it sort of wears you out. We want to keep this (The Bell) a joyful journey for as long as possible, i.e: not too many days away from home...

What are you tour plans for 2008?

MS: Hopefully, we get to do some festivals this summer and we might get around to doing a few special gigs in Scandinavia/Northern Europe in the fall. It is a major project to get us on the road, let me tell you. It costs quite a lot, which is why we don't get out as much as we'd like to.

The most bizarre thing that has happened to you while on tour is ... ?

MS: Nothing of public interest. Yet. When I sang in a garage band in the '90's we had a lot of gigs with punk and metal bands, crazy stuff seems to happen with that crowd. The art rockers we hang out with now are just very polite and nice. Hand in glove.

Who and where was your first concert?

MS: I saw Kraftwerk in Stockholm in the mid-'80's. That is the first one I remember. I remember Ralph Hütter coming out on stage going "vas is loooss?" (What's up?) and that was the only thing.

We were really watching Kraftwerk and not the dummies they were known to send out to do gigs during that period. Once they played a gig in Helsinki the same night as in another town. No one knew who was where...

I loved Kraftwerk in the '80's, still do, and received "Computer World" as a present on my ninth birthday. It was something that shaped my entire life.

Is there a band or artist that you've discovered this year that you've recommended to your friends?

MS: Glasvegas are a fantastic band from Glasgow that takes that Scottish pop/soul-affair even further. They do super-emotional, bombastic, soulful pop pearls. Listen to "Daddy's Gone" on MySpace and be forever lost.

Also Maps, "You Can Create" is a superb pop nugget album in a straight line from "Stone Roses", "The Fifth Column" by U.N.P.O.C (another great loner) and "Ladies and Gentlemen We're Floating in Space" by Spiritualized.

All these albums I can warmly recommend as well, since they are the best three albums of the last 20 years in my opinion.

Who were you listening to in 1998?

MS: 13th Floor Elevators, The Creation, ? and the Mysterians, The Blues Magoos, The Standells, Chocolate Watch Band, The Electric Prunes, Shoes, Rubinoos. All 60s & 70s garage and psychedelia, really.

Which do you prefer: Vinyl, Cassettes, CD or MP3?

MS: MP3. I am a social democrat.

One Drink, One Album, One Movie:

MS: Chianti Classico, Collected Works by A Mountain of One and "Whitnail and I"