Post-rock
is dead and melancholic instrumentation dripping with real emotion
is hard to create without sounding forced and without plagerising
the heroes of the nineties. The 7 tracks on this album, which
span a refreshingly concise 45 minutes, are proof that post-rock
can still tingle the senses and allow ones imagination to run
wild. Human Bell’s self titled album is a study into the
haunting effect of guitar and the way instrumental music can create
a score to the listener’s imagination. Utilising guitars
and occasional percussion amongst some more exotic instruments,
it carves out stirring arrangements that carry the same contemplative
and haunting power as the most glorious post-rockers of yesteryear.
Comprising of Dave Heumann and Nathan Bell, the duo string together
gorgeous guitar duets to form an instrumental canvas painted in
the warm colored hues of folk and rock music, and simultaneously
a blank canvas for the listeners themselves to paint.
Nathan
Bell has recorded with more than a dozen bands in the last decade.
Most known for playing bass in Lungfish from 1996 to 2003, he
has also worked with P.W. Long, Mighty Flashlight, and Television
Hill, an earlier version of Arbouretum. Dave Heumann has also
played with Cass McCombs, Bonnie “Prince” Billy and
Anomoanon, in addition to his work as leader of Arbouretum. Dave
Heumann and Nathan Bell’s work together began as each of
the Baltimore natives had been working individually
on instrumental pieces for banjo and guitar. The bulk of the Human
Bell album was recorded by Paul Oldham at Rove Studios in Selbyville,
Kentucky. “Ephphatha” was recorded at Nathan Bell’s
house in Baltimore by Antony West. The album was mixed by John
McEntire at Soma EMS in Chicago. Additional musicians included
Matt Riley (The Moss Collector) with his bowed banjo, guitar,
amplified kalimba, vibraphones, drum and quartz singing bowl,
and Michael Turner (Warmer Milks, Speed to Roam) on guitar, at
his finest on “The Singing Trees.” Drums were played
by Peter Townshend (Speed to Roam, Bonnie “Prince”
Billy), except on “A Change in Fortunes,” where they
were preformed by Ryan Rapsys (Euphone).f
When
the duo is placed together, shimmering guitars intertwine delicately
amongst each other, the strings strummed with emotional vigor.
There is an almost metal-like aesthetic employed as one of the
guitars frequently acts as the galvanic backbone, strumming loop-like
and subtlety building on its foundations to provide the impetus
that drives the tracks forward. The best example of this is the
opener, ‘A Change in Fortunes’, which brims with a
propulsive intensity. Like an acoustic Pelican, it veers across
a magical, twilight terrain with twin guitar melodies playing
off against each other. The duo continue to showcase their ability
to fuse despondent melodies together with unbounded energy to
create a happy medium between leftfield expressionism and linear
composition. From the delicately crafted, evocative melodies of
‘Outposts of Oblivion’ which exist in the suffocating
warmth of the midnight desertscape to the enchanting exoticism
of ‘Ephphatha (Be Opened)’ which fuses deep multi-dimensional
atmospherics with Opeth-esque neo-prog melodics into a slice of
chilling yet somber ritualistic folk. Very Grails-like in its
delivery, ‘Splendor and Concealment’ is like driving
through a bustling Dodge City in fast-forward, exuding a charming
old-West image with guitar melodies spaghetti-ing rapidly and
dizzyingly between each other. ‘Hanging From the Rafters’
acts as the centerpiece of the album, providing the most rounded
and fully-fledged offering. Driven forward by a wall-toppling
combination of downtuned guitars and muffled percussion, it is
animated by twinkling guitars motifs and whiffs of psychedelic
skree which creates an Escapade meets ambient Skullflower aura.
If
you’re in the market for a piece of music that will spark
images of mystery and intrigue in your cerebral whilst simultaneously
taking you on its own journey into a deep Wild West hinterland
which is dripping with exoticism, then Human Bell will be your
best mode of transport. (RM)
For fans of: Esmerine, Escapade,
Enablers, Sunroof!, The For Carnation
|
