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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clear as a "Bell", 16 Dec 2005
If the world had gone a bit differently, then Arcade Fire would sit in the shadow of Bell Orchestre. But while Arcade Fire boomed onto the indie scene, its artier sister band Bell Orchestre's debut has slipped quietly onto the scene. Don't compare the music. "Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light" is an enchanting sonic journey full of magical instrumentation and stately psychedelic orchestration. It opens with "Recording A Tunnel (The Horns Play Underneath The Canal)," an eerie, trembling collection of horns and strings, which melt away into the sound of traffic, then fade out completely. Then it swells up again into a stately, ponderous tune that circles around itself, before exploding into a bizarre new style. I'm not sure what to call it -- classical punk or psychedelic gypsy, maybe. That vibe continues into a foot-stomping fiddle song, laced through with sirens, and growing murkier and more epic by the minute. Then it's back into the world of fog-smothered ambient, effervescent violin psychedelica, sparkling music-box pop, and what sounds like an indie-rock Christmas epic. It finishes up with a thirteen-minute epic that, unlike most songs of that length, is only a little too long. It begins soft and confused, before smoothing out into gentle string melodies, and ending on an ominous, almost ghostly note. Then it falls completely silent. Yep, that's a musical journey. It runs the full gamut from A to Z, and through various letters that nobody knows about. In truth, "Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light" does feel like an emotional journey: There are moments of joy and beauty, there are moments of sadness, fun, sneakiness, and discouragement. As a result, it's less like a collection of songs than it is one enormous song. And it's to Bell Orchestre's credit that they can keep up a level of excellence throughout the entire album. At times it lapses into a sort of ambient sound, but keeps itself fresh with sparkling electronic notes, like little silver bells. Elsewhere, there are sharply plucked strings that bring mischief and sneakiness to mind, or robust string arrangements that make you think of gypsy camps. There aren't any vocals to draw your attention away. Just the shimmering instrumentals. And in the tradition of similar bands like Olivia Tremor Control, Bell Orchestre shares two members with Arcade Fire. Richard Reed Perry dominates on bass, some subtle, muffled percussion, and keyboard, while Sarah Neufeld plays the violin, both as a fun dance instrument and with aching sweetness. Others like Kaveh Nabatian and Pietro Amato add their talents, in everything from trumpet to melodica to the rare guitar. With its stately classical arrangements tinged with indiepop, Bell Orchestre created one of the most unique and magical albums of 2005. Almost guaranteed to give you strange dreams.
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~ Bell Orchestre
~ Arcade Fire
~ Fleet Foxes
~ Various Artists
~ Arcade Fire
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