Human Bell’s self-titled debut can best be described by one of those phrases like “consistently inconsistent” or “change is the only constant.” Like a river that is flowing but is always the same river, the two complementary guitar lines are constantly evolving and constantly moving forward, yet they are always there. The river might overflow with the melting snow in springtime and dry up in the drought of summer; just as some of the songs gush forth with exuberance and some reduce to but a whisper, and yet, it is still the same river and it is still the same album throughout. Nathan Bell (Lungfish, P.W. Long, Mighty Flashlight, and Television Hill) and Dave Heumann (Cass McCombs, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, and Anomoanon) are the men behind those swung guitar lines. This record sounds to be the product of two fans of classic rock sitting in rocking chairs on a porch, jamming on acoustic guitars, writing the soundtrack for the setting sun. By the end of each track, and the album altogether, you’ll notice that time has passed, thoughts and sensations have passed, but that you’re still in the same spot, like watching the sun set. Each song has a slow evolution, starting off with riffs that might have easily, with a little more distortion, sufficed to replace Jimmy Paige’s rolling main riff of “Black Dog,” that are complemented by the second guitar line and then emphasized with the occasional vibraphone, bowed banjo, or a plodding drumbeat.
The whole of the album feels very organic, very meditative. There’s no verse-to-chorus-back-to-verse-again. There are layers that come and go like layers of sand being blown by the wind on the beach, and then there are suavely synchronized stops that catch the listener off guard, jarring them from the pulse of the record. Don’t expect pop anthems; expect something more like the popping and cracking of a bonfire.
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