(2023) Bell Orchestre - As Seen Through Windows (Special Edition)        


Review:
The second helping from Montreal's Bell Orchestre holds true to the Canadian instrumentalists' penchant for melodic/atonal slabs of cinematic chamber rock, but this time around they've reigned in the jerky, less-developed aspects of their work, allowing for a smooth, though still volatile blend of post-punk, classical crossover, and straight-up experimental rock. As Seen Through Windows employs much of the same instrumentation as 2005's Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light (strings, brass, drums, guitar, keyboards, bass), but where their debut relied on visceral live performance to paint its audio images, Windows bends each instrument to its will, distressing, texturizing, and squeezing out every sonic option using both organic and electronic means. From the muted, warmly distorted horns that serve as opener "Stripes," the spine to the manic "Gaze," which explodes out like an amplifier crash into a late-'70s cop drama theme, to the My Morning Jacket-inspired closer "Air Lines/Land Lines," the Bell Orchestre imbue each track with both dexterity and playfulness, rarely stopping long enough to commit wholeheartedly to one or the other -- "Bucephalus Bouncing Ball" may lean a little too hard on distorted drums, but it goes from Battles-esque math-jam to triumphant and majestic in just under three minutes. While this may frustrate some listeners looking for a tow rope, it makes for a far more rewarding run for those willing to endure every bump and glide. — allmusic


 


Track List:
01 - Stripes
02 - Elephants
03 - Icicles / Bicycles
04 - Water / Light / Shifts
05 - Bucephalus Bouncing Ball
06 - As Seen Through Windows
07 - The Gaze
08 - Dark Lights
09 - Air Lines / Land Lines
10 - Open Organ
11 - Quintet
12 - Icicles (Outdoor Version)


Media Report:
Genre: classical, post-rock
Country: Montreal, Québec
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
Compression mode: Lossless
Writing library: libFLAC 1.2.1 (UTC 2007-09-17)


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