INTERVIEW: ARCANE ROOTSHaving finally released début album ‘Blood And Chemistry,’ we met up with vocalist/guitarist Andrew Groves to discuss the new album, being compared to Biffy Clyro and more.
INTERVIEW: NATIVESCurrently on tour with The Summer Set and a new EP set to be released soon, we caught
up with New Forest's Natives to talk about the new EP and album, the UK rock scene, the transition from being Not Advised to becoming Natives and much more.
FIVES: THE BEST WONDER YEARS SONGSThis week Lansdale, Pennsylvania’s The Wonder Years released their fourth album - ‘The Greatest Generation,’ a record that sees the pop punk quintet reach their creative peak in a number of ways. With a wealth of material in their discography, Already Heard's Sean Reid and Tom Knott took on the tricky task of picking out the five best songs from The Wonder Years. Find out what we picked and let us know if you agree or disagree?
INTERVIEW: MALLORY KNOXFollowing the release of their superb 'Signals' album, Mallory Knox have certainly become ones to watch in recent months. We caught up with the band to discuss joining Search & Destroy Records, how vital the festival season and touring are, what it feels like to be a part
of the expanding British rock scene and much more.
ALREADY HEARD RECOMMENDS: OVER THE OCEANOver The Ocean have crafted a compelling, brooding record with their latest effort ‘Be Given To The Soil.’ With intense specific precision and delicate accuracy that echoes the likes of Explosions In The Sky and Sigur Ros. Jesse Hill from the band to discusses how the
album came together, the importance of precision, being compared to post-rock pioneers and more.
VERSUS: BRING ME THE HORIZON - 'THERE IS A HELL...' VS 'SEMPITERNAL'After a top ten UK album and an outstanding UK tour with festival dates on both sides of the Atlantic to follow, Bring Me The Horizon are having a fantastic 2013 and are now featured in the latest edition of "Versus." It's ‘There is a Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There is a Heaven, Let’s Keep it a Secret’ vs the bands latest release, 'Sempiternal.'
ALREADY HEARD TRACK GUIDE: ALEXANDER - SAY HELLOWe catch up with Newcastle Indie Rock quartet Alexander to find out more about their debut album 'Say Hello' for a “Already Heard Track Guide” feature.
Album Review: Belle Histoire - Dreamers
Belle Histoire’s first full-length, ‘Dreamers,’ is the freshest breath of air the music scene has gotten in a long time. Fresh off an EP earlier this year, this Ohio-based band delivers pure musical talent in each song, proving their worth and giving us all an example of unadulterated musical pleasure.
You can’t begin to talk about Belle Histoire without mentioning lead vocalist Jane Smith. Her voice is indulgent; listening to her sing is like eating like a decadent dessert. She can hit the high notes with pure clarity while maintaining a rich and complex tone. If this description isn’t working for you, just take a listen to ‘Home,’ which makes her voice the focal point.
This album is well balanced. You’ll hear upbeat, happy-sounding tracks like ‘Don’t Run Away,’ and ‘My Dear,’ which are pop-driven but avoid crossing the line into cloyingly sweet. This switches to soulful, pensive tracks like ‘We’ll Never Learn,’ and ‘Do You Love Me.’
The standout song on ‘Dreamers’ is ‘See You Again.’ Smith’s vocals are haunting, the melody is one that sticks around in your head for hours, and the lyrics are honest and slightly heartbreaking. The lyrics become a unifying theme for the album. It is rare to come across such stripped-down lyrics, when many artists cover their words with cryptic metaphors and secret meanings. This album presents unembellished human emotions and experiences that everyone can relate to or be inspired by.
Belle Histoire gives us one of those albums you can put on repeat for hours. It’s hard to pin down exactly what makes this entire album so addicting. With moments reminiscent of Copeland, fused with sweet, open lyrics, simple and straightforward musicianship and one of the best voices from an up-and-coming singer, I suppose it’s even harder to pin down what doesn’t make this album so addicting.
Maybe what makes Belle Histoire stand out from other female-fronted indie bands is the unadulterated talent. There is no studio mixing with Smith’s voice. Even the instruments offer an almost raw quality that gives ‘Dreamers’ such a unique sound. There are no extra embellishments. This album is pure music, and it is an incredible debut album that makes Belle Histoire a force to be reckoned with.
5/5
‘Dreamers’ by Belle Histoire is out now on InVogue Records.
Belle Histoire links: Website|Facebook|Twitter|YouTube
Words by Jenny Gagas.
