The word ‘deep’ has been bastardized by stoner hippies discussing why stars are, like, so far away. But its rightful use is in the description of the third album by Dublin’s own BellX1, which, just by being the follow-up to 2003’s breakthrough album Music In Mouth, was always set to be spectacular. The initial question was whether it would be spectacularly disappointing or sublime, and in fact the answer is that it’s spectacularly deep. In the correct sense of the word.
Dive in and one becomes immediately become submerged in the quirky sounds of ‘Flame’, a hip-shaking affair which will inspire congo lines at gigs, drunken versions at karaoke and an absent-minded hum while hoovering. Then float along with the reflective ‘Rocky Took A Lover’ which is a lullaby of a song, a cacophony of sound and a dark story all at once, a fusion made possible by the tact with which it’s pulled off.
But its real beauty comes when the effort is made to tunnel further down. The songs you were tempted to skip first become familiar, then recognisable, then at a point only hindsight will reveal, become shining examples of subtle magnificence, however much you’re loath to admit a change of heart. The eight-minute ballad closer ‘Lamp Posts’ is a perfect example, as is the song that wins the Grower Of The Album award, ‘Trampalene’. The lyrics too are revealed piecemeal, although not as witty as some of their best (see ‘Eve, The Apple Of My Eye’ from Flock’s predecessor).
And when you think you’ve gotten to the bottom of the album, it takes on new forms with repeated plays. Given the thought that has gone into Flock – songs were carefully road tested and went through different permutations - and the talent it takes to realise, Paul Noonan and his band of merry men have much of which to be proud. Not only have they purposefully pushed themselves far further than would have sufficed, but in doing so they’ve proved they’ve everything in their backpack to be as big they imagine. Now that’s a deep thought.