Bell X1/Damien Rice

See, I thought I had this post all organised. But, no, I don't. I haven't said anything in the draft. I just have all this "research". Anyways, here goes. I saw Bell X1 doing two in-stores in the past week. One at Cool Discs which was good, very bare-bones, acoustic-ness going on [plus, I got a thing signed], and then another at HMV. Anyways, they were good, and kinda made me like them again. Haven't really paid much attention to them since Music in Mouth, but well, I was listening to some more stuff after the in-stores and they actually are a really good band. Here's some facts:

#1: Eve, The Apple of my Eye was played on the O.C;
#2: They're from Dublin, Ireland;
#3: On October 14, 1947, the Bell X-1 became the first airplane to fly faster than the speed of sound;
#4: Damien Rice used to be a member, and he wrote the songs Volcano, and Eskimo whilst in the band [then called Juniper], from what I remember;
#5: They played a show [or maybe more? couldn't really find out] with Elliott Smith... 'nuff said.



Damien Rice

Volcano
Eskimo

Damien Rice is brilliant. His album 'O' was one of my favourites ever since about two years ago, when I lived in a different house, and my brother spent his time in a different country [as in the Republic... down in Dublin... for University]. I remember hearing it and thinking it was just amazing. And it was. Maybe still is.

So, anyway. I'm completely tired... I am shattered. I haven't slept properly in so long. Think I'm going to collapse someday soon. So, that means, I'll leave you with some quotations from the two in-stores.



Music [?] in Mouth

[after borrowing the lead singer/guitarist's tuner, the bassist says] "i'm saving up for my own tuner"

[lead singer/guitarist, shakes his head, realising his guitar's not in tune] "just goes to show you have to do everything on your own these days... phil you're dead"

"ah i think the nerves are settling a little bit. it's so distracting though y'know. Godfather III and Deus Ex! we used to do these in-stores alot. we're from ah.. we're from dublin. and we did lots of these in tower records, i think it was back at the very start. and tower records was like the first place to sell pornography in ireland. so yea, it was pretty great for that reason. maybe i shouldn't be saying this." [laughs]

"we can't really do this song properly here 'cause of the set-up. so we can't do the discotastic version. but i guess... when in doubt - go country. that's the rule. so here's our slow country version of the new single, Flame"

"our album hasn't been released here yet. well, except for in Cool Discs... they've had it for a while. 'cause they're one of the good guys"

And some information: I saw them when they were promoting their album, Music in Mouth about a year ago, and that was a pretty good in-store. But anyway, at the end of one of the songs, the singer sang these lines from the Outkast song, Hey Ya! :

Don't want to meet your daddy,
Just want you in my Caddy.
Don't want to meet your momma,
Just want to make you come, ah.
I'm just being honest.
I'm just being honest.

At the latest in-store, in HMV, he sang part of Ms. Jackson [also by Outkast] :

i'm sorry ms jackson.. oohh... never meant to make your daughter cry.

Paul Noonan is the name of their lead singer/guitarist. Methinks he's an Outkast fan.

Oh, closing note... HMV had wayyyy too many security guards for the in-store. It was crazy. Two looked like they were only there after getting rejected from the Secret Service the same day. FACT! That's how stern the looks were. Suspicion was practically falling out off the shelves like knocked over CD's, and carelessly thrown schoolbags were no longer an obstruction - they were now regarded as dangerous weapons. Did someone say, bomb? Okay, wasn't quite that bad like. But, you get the idear.




Bell X1

Alphabet Soup - live
Here She Comes
Morning Becomes Eclectic Live Session - streaming media

If any of this post is wrong/doesn't make sense/annoys you - blame tiredness.

Bell X1 have a new album and a new single, out now! Should be good, I reckon. Their next single is called "Rocky Took A Lover" and it sounds absolutely fantastic acoustic. Doesn't sound quite as good electric, but still very well worth a listen. Go to their MySpace, here.

Also: in "Rocky Took A Lover", the lyrics allude to a Winston Churchill quotation [if my memory bank serves me right...] Churchill called some woman ugly. She called him a drunk. He said, "at least I'll be sober in the morning". And the lyrics to this Bell X1 song go like this: "she says... but you weren't so nice, last night, you're such an asshole when you're drunk. You said, least I'm okay in the morning". I definitely do really like the lyrics. They also allude to Oscar Wilde: "but from this gutter we're still staring at the stars"... thus referencing his infamous, "all of us are in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars" quotation. [My versions, re: Wilde, Churchill, were paraphrased, 'cause I'm too lazy to Google them.]