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Bellafea:
Family Tree EP
The Family Tree EP begins with a short, mesmerizing hand-clapping, boot-stomping chant; its a good introduction for what follows. Bellafea is arena rock for the fairies of the forest, a punk take on Xiu Xiu and the new folk. Singer/guitarist Heather McEntire seems like a sister to Melora Creager, with infrequent lip-curled attitude and processed, mannered voice, especially on Tara; but the music veers in a completely different direction, angry and repetitive here building its layers deceptively quickly, there falling off into ominous punk primitivism. In standout Seasons, this basic sound is modulated by discothque vocal effects and indie drums, combining retro-nostalgic riffs from the 50s, 60s and 70s in a gloriously well-produced package. The lyrics yearning high-school story romance is the perfect counterpoint to this elegant and sophisticated musical collage. While We Are Still Young contains ethereal, poppy vocals and rhythm, punctuated by ghostly, hollow moments of introspection, although a minute-long guitar/drum breakdown is distracting and defuses the moment. Things get sludgy one minute and fifty-five seconds into the penultimate song, Thorn Bird: Hair-raising guitars lead into harpsichord levels of melodic complexity in a mildly upsetting, drivingly creepy song for almost two minutes. What follows is a laudable attempt at atmosphere that no doubt comes off well at a live show, but is charmingly out of place on this fast-moving EP. The title and last track, Family Tree, fares little better, with its spare, lonesome guitar and mournful family drama lyrics. These last moments, this ending with a whimper, will be acceptable on a full-length, because they are great songs worthy of your listening; but as an EP, the division is too drastic. The album is twenty minutes long, and half of that is taken up by trudging. The latter songs, deserving of attention, come on here like a slow-motion K-hole after the delirious textures of what came before.
Check Amazon, Insound and CD Universe to purchase this album.
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