Bela
‘Til Summer Ends
Mother West
Take the indie-pop sensibilities of Belle & Sebastian, the cello-driven goth of Rasputina, and add a little post-punk guitar and edge, and you’re on the right track to figuring out where Bela is coming from. If that mix sounds the least bit intriguing to you, you should love this record – the styles blend surprisingly well, and the record has grown on me a little more with each listen. Tracks like “The Happy Bomb” and Heaven’s Slow” are interesting studies in contradiction; while the sound can lean toward the darkwave/goth side, there still seems to be an inherent ray of sunshine in there somewhere. This can be attributed to both the pop sensibilities and the dream-like qualities of singer Jeff Hogan’s voice, which keep ‘Til Summer Ends from becoming a depressing, “I wear black because that’s how I feel” affair. To the contrary, there seems to be a real optimistic (but subdued) feeling here. An intriguing record, indeed!
Mother West Records, 132 West 26th Street, New York, NY ; http://www.motherwest.com
