Speaking to Hot Press a few months ago, Gary Lightbody revealed that the working title for the next Snow Patrol record was the rather unwieldy Unfortunately For You This Is No Bloodless Coup. Unfortunately for him, it seems that acclaimed Kildare trio Bell X1 have shamelessly pinched the best bit of that title – though, in fairness, the term occurs in the excellent track ‘Trailing Skirts Of God’ (“I’ve drifted far from you in this bloodless coup/I say good bye and adieu”).
Recorded in Grouse Lodge with producer Rob Kirwan (Glasvegas, Editors) at the helm, the successor to 2009’s Blue Lights On The Runway sees the Bellies significantly upping their game. No mean achievement given that they’re already rightly regarded as one of Ireland’s most artfully commercial acts.
It opens with drum loops and squelchy electronica on the moody ‘Hey Anna Lena’. Frontman Paul Noonan croons, “Hey Anna Lena/let’s get married/let’s get outta this place/just take what you can carry/I got the pink lilo/won’t need much where we’re going.” That “pink lilo” is the giveaway; in the final verse it’s revealed that the narrator is only five-years-old.
Noonan is an extremely clever songwriter, adept at dropping familiar images or pop cultural soundbites into his lyrics (on ‘Hey Anna Lena’ he even drops a subtle “may the force be with you”). It’s a neat lyrical trick, a deceptively simple way of making sure the songs stick in your head. He’s not unawares, it’s no coincidence that the second track is called ‘Velcro’: “Watching a six-year-old on YouTube/playing drums to Billie Jean/this is the stuff that binds us/this and all those Dairy Queens.”
On the brilliant ‘Four Minute Mile’ he sings, “I’ll never have a salad at McDonald’s/Or heed the call to monitise the arts/All those letters to Jim’ll Fix It lay somewhere in a basket/And the other guy got to play with Adam and the Ants.”
Musically it’s as accomplished as ever. Although they’re utilising electronics and drum machines more than usual, memorable guitar riffs and atmospheric keyboards add multiple layers to many of the tracks. Each repeat listen reaps a new reward. They’re not doing anything radically new, but they’re audibly improving during a crucial period in their career. ‘Sugar High’ will do nothing to stop those Talking Heads comparisons, but – on the plus side – David Byrne himself will probably be jealous.
All told, an artsy and atmospheric collection of highly commercial songs made by a world class Irish band at the very top of their game. If the wider world loves Bloodless Coup as much as I suspect it will, Bell X1 may yet be stealing a different title from Gary Lightbody.