Bell @ Pianos - 22 May 2007

Last night Bell played their second of three scheduled Pianos May residency shows. While it was a more mellow set overall, if I'm being honest, it was a better show than last time. That's not at all meant to be a knock on their show last week, just meant to explain how well everything came together last night. The band as a whole seemed to be slightly tighter and Olga's vocals sounded even better than before. I've included two MP3s below for your enjoyment: the first is my current second favorite song of theirs (I think...these things change lots though when you love each and every song by an artist) and the second is Bell's cover of "The Eraser" by Thom Yorke. Having seen this band a number of times now, I'm constantly amazed at how a new song that I've never heard them play seems to show up at each performance. Will the parade of excellent newness ever end?! When Bell finally gets in to the studio I'd imagine they're going to have a very tough time deciding which of their billions of great songs they'd like to commit to tape. "Tape".

What you either already love about Bell, or will soon, are the peaks and valleys of the music, both live and on "tape". Songs that start out as a quiet study in delicate elegance and reserved professionalism inevitably evolve into an irresistible explosion of exuberance before returning once again to the lovely tranquility from whence they came. Like a roller coaster ride for your ears. Look, I don't mean to sound obscenely PR-speaky, it's the simple truth. And the same can be said of a Bell show as a whole. Hey, don't just take it from me - the audience last night (largely made up of musicians I recognized from a variety of successful NY bands) enjoyed Bell's show so much they demanded an encore, and the band responded with an abbreviated version of their trademark show closer. Want to know what that is? Sad you missed the first two shows at Pianos? Well, luckily there will be another encore... an encore performance.

Make sure not to miss your last chance to see Bell during their residency at Pianos on the 29th of May. One week from yesterday. Be there, or be willing to explain to yourself why you missed three perfect opportunities to see one of New York's most promising up and coming artists at a venue the size of Pianos.

Listen:
"The Miner" (live @ Pianos - 22 May 2007)
"The Eraser" (live @ Pianos - 22 May 2007)

Visit Bell on MySpace, see more pictures (from this show and others) of Bell HERE.