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The Belles Omerta
By: Rodney Skaggs (Lawrencerock.com writer) |
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When I first heard
about the new band being formed by Chris Tolle (from the Creature Comforts)
and Jake Cardwell (from Reflector and Safety in Numbers) I knew nothing
of what style of band it was going to be. I figured it was going to
be a loud rock extravaganza. I was pleasantly surprised when I got my
hands on a copy of their album “Omerta”, which will be in
stores on January 14th. The album starts out with a short example of
the talent the Belles have in their voices. The song “So I Sing”
sounds more like a barbershop quartet rather than a groundbreaking local
indy rock band. The mellow tone
of the record is set with the second song “Who Will Be Here to
Hear?” which starts out with the phrase “I’m pretty sure
you’d kill me, if you had the chance.” Pleasant acoustic guitars
and simple rock drum beats never sounded so sweet. Most of the songs
are on the same level throughout the album. It’s a fact that most
of the songs are a bit on the sad side, but I wouldn’t go as far
to put them in the emo category. There is something too cool about the
band to be tossed into that genre. The lyrics may be emotional, but
they are sung with a hint of resentment. Like if you took a little bit
of attitude from The Fonz or John Wayne and mixed it into feeling of
the words. The first single
for the band is “Never Said Anything”, which already has a
great video that was shot here in Lawrence. The song “You Can’t
Have it All” breaks the mold of the album and bursts out with a
classic rock guitar hook that would make you think that the song was
recorded sometime in the 70’s. The title track, “Omerta”,
stands out as my favorite song on the album, but it’s truly hard
to pick a favorite. Here’s the great thing about the Belles. If you like one of their songs, chances are you are going to like the rest of them. For those who have reservations about getting into this band, I was never a huge fan of the Creature Comforts, but this is a completely different style of music. Chris Tolle’s voice and songwriting is inviting and cozy. All of the songs seem to flow smoothly out of my stereo and soon after a few listens you will be hooked and singing along. Check out www.thebelles.com for the video and a couple samples from the album.
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