Human Bell

Human Bell

Thrill Jockey

2008-01-28

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Human Bell is a cleverly worked moniker drawn from the names of the principle players on this eponymous record, Dave Heumann and Nathan Bell. Both might be known for their work elsewhere — Bell took position as bassist in Lungfish in the latter nineties and early noughts and Heumann is the leader of Arbouretum — but their list of previous partners and collaborations includes PW Long, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Mighty Flashlight, Cass McCombs and Papa M among others. This work brings together some of the work that these other projects have offered or suggested at, but entertaining a concept specific to the new endeavour: that of ‘Ephphatha’ an Aramaic expression meaning to be open, as a portal — an idea suggesting at a pure communication, which the records’ music embraces. Alongside accompaniment from various friends including Matt Riley (The Moss Collector) the duo offer guitar-based instrumental music with a grand and sparse tone, though distinctly close and delicate in sound.

Opener “A Change in Fortunes” offers the same sweet, calm, world-wise plodding found on much of Lungfish’s work, although with a bluesy folk-guitar twist giving it a pastoral English mood but here quite distinctly re-sited within that same sparse post-Southern rock landscape as occupied by Earth’s Hex and Hibernaculum. Slowly building in pressure, a beat powerful in its quiet restraint exhales a heavy and warm breath into the song halfway and leads it on through a careful instrumental workout — simplistic but touched up with light accompaniment on vibraphone. Second track “Splendour and Concealment” eases in with more light breaking about two minutes in to guitar interplay which fuses that cold Southern American style with pure Bert and John blues/folk interplay — guitar work which repeats in its swirling coil until the song ends.

“Outposts of Oblivion” continues the cool, windy journey with its quietly bluesy opening strains, augmented by ambient swells and embellishment and blissfully lifted and pushed on by a few percussive stabs and the entrance of a shuffling brushed drum kit. In turn as the guitars’ riff repetition builds a mood the percussion switches to punchy stick work but the mid point signals a withdrawal back into the silence of the surrounding terrain. The familiar melody returns though, but this time played off against a slightly more threatening high-end riff — one which interestingly holds back from delivering the full post-rock burst into noise that other bands wouldn’t be able to resist.

guitar work which repeats in its swirling coil

“Hanging From the Rafters” delivers something more like the song structure shied away from on the previous number as its trance-like descending riff breaks after four and a half minutes only to re-enter with added volume and urgency — only problem is though that by the six and a half/seven minute mark you find your satisfaction with the song has been left behind and still the riff carries on. The work offered on this first Human Bell record is mostly enjoyable, however there are moments when the songs could be reined in or tightened, or even twisted up a little further to create something a little more interesting that they appear here on record. The elongated repetition in the latter stages of the second track, or “Hymn Amerika”, the album’s third track, hinted at the fact that the group’s repetitive style might not always work as effectively as at other times — the band are surely about the mood produced within the moment of creation and development and therefore suggest an interesting live project, when the guitar mantras can be embraced first hand and not mediated by the recording and production process.

Unfortunately, by the time that what could well be the album’s big moment comes around on the spiritual epic penultimate track “Ephphatha”, the template has been a little too worn in, and therefore cannot achieve the pure opening of the listener that it might desire. But Heumann and Bell do good to pull it back together with a more engulfing dirgey drawl out on the final track “The Singing Trees”, comparable to the recent work of The Warlocks in creating a distorted bluesy wail over swampy fuzz, leaving the listener feeling refreshed and perhaps more open to hearing from the group in future.