Flock

Description

Product Description In Ireland, a country churning out hit makers like so much Guinness, Bell X1 are at the forefront of the frenzy. Called 'The best band in Ireland' by Vanity Fair magazine, the quintet of rockers has seen four songs simultaneously chart in the Irish Top 20 and the album, Flock, has since gone 5-times platinum. The band is now bringing their sound stateside with the US release of Flock on Yep Roc Records. Bell X1 was formed when original band Juniper split upon the exit of Damien Rice for a soon to be successful solo career. The remaining members continued on, creative juices still bubbling, to release their first album to rave reviews in the UK press. Two albums later came their blockbuster album, Flock, which is today one of the highest selling Irish albums ever. The live DVD Tour de Flock debuted at #4 on the Irish charts, the highest ever Irish debut for a self released title. With hooks galore amid a tapestry of moody, introspective nuances, Bell X1 is now poised to ride the wave of their UK success toward an entirely new group of fans and critics, on this side of the Atlantic.Adding extra value to your purchase, the Yep Roc version of Flock is an enhanced CD, featuring three live videos, an animated music video, a photo slideshow, a bio page, a links page, and two special audio tracks, including an amazing remix of 'Flame'. .com The album's cover art (and title) would seem to make a comparison between the group's modern rock sound and wallpaper. Which is meta, and fun and stuff--but at first it seems a little bit too true. Is the racy leadoff track "Reacharound" much more than Radiohead lite? And how is the second track, "Flame," anything other than the work of a Maroon 5 tribute band that decided to write its own material? Stick around for the third song, though, "Rocky Took a Lover," and you'll be greatly rewarded. The song itself is a pleasant, gloopy little sunshine pop number. But what makes it something you want to hear more of are its sly, believably slice-of-life lyrics: "She said 'What a wonderful way to wake me/ You weren't so nice last night/ You're such an a**hole when you're drunk'/ He said 'At least I'm OK in the mornings'" For a group with one of the most unmemorable band names ever, it's funny that it's their way with words that elevates them from wannabe status. Let's hope they can craft some music as memorable as their words, toot sweet. --Mike McGonigal Review In its earlier incarnation as Juniper, the band that would become known as Bell X1 (then featuring singer Damien Rice) was universally accepted as Ireland's brightest musical prospect. Before their 1998 collapse, they were compared favorably with hometown heroes U2 and the Frames, and with the release of their third and most successful album to date, Flock, the same comparisons have begun to be heard again. With Flock, Bell X1 have stepped out of the shadow of their more illustrious former cohort; for the first time, Rice doesn't have a single writing credit, and the music has taken on more of a unique, identifiable sound from the post-Radiohead rock that typified their first two efforts. Flock opens with a bang, as the energetic pairing of ''Reacharound'' and single ''Flame'' clamor for attention with angular art rock riffs and smooth funk rhythms, respectively. That frontman Paul Noonan doubles as the band's studio drummer adds an interesting dimension to Bell X1's compositions, as demonstrated on ''Bad Skin Day,'' where percussion turns the tables and becomes the lead instrument, relegating the soft acoustic guitar sequences to mere accompaniment. Flock's greatest accomplishment, however, is another of its singles. ''Rocky Took a Lover,'' which forced its way onto radio long before it was officially considered as a single, and it's easy to see why: achingly simple in composition, ''Rocky'' imagines a conversation between a homeless couple: ''[She said], 'You're such an a**hole when you're drunk'/He said, 'At least I'm OK in the morning.'' Bell X1 don't fit comfortably into any of the pigeonholes of modern indie rock: more down to earth than Radiohead; more fun-loving than Coldplay; and too sophisticated to be lumped in with Franz Ferdinand. Bell X1 occupy a niche all of their own, and long may it continue. --All Music Guide