Bell

A New Kind of Rome (Yeah, It’s Rock)
by Jon Sarre

These spunky Seattlites probably deserve more recognition than they get, just cuz they’re a pretty okay band in a city with far too many that ain’t worth the waste of yer time, ‘specially keeping in mind that everyone’s sick of the place. I don’t really have a solution for Bell (don’t move south to Portland, that’s for damn sure, that goes double for Olympia) ‘cept to say, at their best (“Always Someone Better”), they resemble X with two Exenes and more grit ‘n’ less flash from Damon Romero and Vanessa Veselka’s guitars. At their most neutral (“21%”), they toss off an okay alt-country jangle not-quite-a-ballad-but-not-quite-a-rocker-either. When Bell’s at their worst (“Drive It Till It Dies”), they’re post-AOR radio schmucks maybe somethin’ along the lines of the Wilson Sisters tryin’ to sound more like Hole. Good as long as they keep that shit to a minimum.
(PO Box 85775 Seattle, WA 98145)