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A room with
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“It sounds like I’m talking about wine,” says Bell Orchestre’s Sarah Neufeld, laughing at the string of adjectives she uses to describe the band’s new album, As Seen Through Windows. It’s “crunchy,” “earthy” and “rich,” she says, in contrast to the band’s 2005 debut, Recording a Tape the Colour of Light, which was relatively “distant,” “ethereal,” “faraway” and “dreamlike.” The instrumental sextet haven’t sacrificed all nuance, as wondrous songs such as “Water/Light/Shifts” show. The track that follows, however (“Bucephalus Bouncing Ball”), exemplifies the evolution of which Neufeld speaks, its drums, guitar, violin, bass, horns and keys assembled into bold sonic formations in an attempt to capture the band’s live energy. Produced by John McEntire in Chicago’s Soma Electronic Music Studios, it’s a record that’s not easily categorized. “Chamber rock” fits best, if your definitions of chamber and rock music are sufficiently stretched for the 21st century. When the Mirror rang up Ms. Neufeld, she was testing the espresso machine at the new business office of her “other band,” Arcade Fire, of which her Bell Orchestre bandmate Richard Reed Parry is a part as well. But the supergrouping doesn’t end there. Filling out Bell Orchestre’s ranks are Pietro Amato (Torngat, Luyas), Stefan Schneider (Luyas, Jorane), the rather ubiquitous Mike Feuerstack (Snailhouse etc., etc.) and the otherwise musically unconnected (as of press time) filmmaker Kaveh Nabatian—his dazzling music video for “Upwards March” is viewable on their Web site (bellorchestre.com). And it’s not surprising that there’s a visual artist in the mix, as it was scenery that largely inspired the new album’s title track. “We had this practice space that was all windows on one side,” says Neufeld, recalling the band’s month-long stay at the Banff Centre in 2005, “so we were completely surrounded by this panoramic view of the Rocky Mountains. Mule would appear in front of the windows and sometimes, if we were lucky, moose.” Another song on As Seen Through Windows that predates the band’s first album is “Dark Light,” which originated during one of their very first sessions, at a Concordia University dance studio. “I’ll never forget writing that song,” says Neufeld. “I remember the dancers were pushing us around on chairs as we played. We were doing this weird interactive game, this song was just being born with the dancers, and we were all kind of moving around the room. It was very beautiful.” Bell Orchestre went on to rehearse for a whole year in the Mile-End studio occupied by esteemed local choreographer Édouard Lock and his La La La Human Steps, with the intention of contributing music to the troupe’s next show. Although one of their compositions made it into La La La’s subsequent gala performance at Ex-Centris, the collaboration didn’t quite pan out, but it’s something that Lock and the band may well pursue in future. At the moment, it’s hard enough for Bell Orchestre to find time for the basics, what with all their other projects. After their impending international tour, they hope to document a few fresh ideas, partly to prevent another four-year gap between releases. “This album is finally out, but it was actually made two years ago,” Neufeld explains. “We’ve got so much more music in us right now, we’d love to just hunker down and write together. That would be ideal.” WITH COLIN STETSON AND LITTLE |
