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The Bell

Who? If a band is a product of its environment, thenthe Bell has endured more than its share of long cold winters. ThreeSwedes with a love for brooding, drum machine-fueled alterna-pop,Nicklas Nilsson (instruments), Mathias Stromberg (vocals) and JanPetterson (instruments) craft an insanely melodic throwback to early’80s Manchester. The Bell’s chilling debut LP, Make Some Quiet, drops Feb. 12 via the Badman imprint.

What’s the Deal?Nestled between the Swedes’ whistling indie cheer and apocalyptic doommetal, the Bell’s echoing pop stylings take the Chameleons’ rawpost-punk and sprinkles it with Mew’s sparkling pixie dust. Theswirling “Gone For Days” channels early New Order and OMD whilestaggering through optimistic frailty, while “Leave Me” bounces inwintry shadows (à la Echo & the Bunnymen), buoyed by Stromberg’sicy monotone. When the lyrics “You know nothing about me / You thinkyou do / You don’t / So leave me,” tumble from Stromberg’s chappedlips, it’s clear the Bell’s weathered storm is ready to break free fromseasonal restraint. But make no mistake, Make Some Quiet is quintessential for the winter doldrums.

Fun Fact:Originally adopting the moniker You Is Stupid, the band later settledon the Bell because it was “the name (they) hated least.” “When it cameto actually releasing records, we realised [sic] that we are about ashumorous as skin cancer,” vocalist Mathias Stromberg tells SPIN.com.”We changed it to the mysterious and very indie-1987 [sounding] ‘TheBell,’ after long, drunken discussions and almost-fights.”

Now Hear This
The Bell – “On and On” DOWNLOAD MP3

On the Web:
The Bell at MySpace
thebelltheband.com

Talk: What wintry sounds ring your Bell?