Belly - "Dove"

Belly is a Rhode Island-based Alternative Rock band that rose pretty quickly to fame in the early 90s.  They formed in 1991, but by 1993 with the release of their debut album "Star", became huge overnight.  Now, Belly had a very unique sound, combining noisy and triumphant Alt-Rock with the more Pop Side of things as well.  To be exact, Belly brought in elements of Jangle Pop.  And for the most part, they certainly succeeded.  Tracks like "Feed the Tree", "Gepetto" and "Angel" weren't just reverb-soaked rockers, but catchy ones at that.  Now, I personally wasn't into some of the slower tunes here, but Belly did a solid job of setting themselves apart really quickly.  But uhhhh I feel like with their second album "King", Belly just sort of threw everything exciting and interesting about them out the window.  The Pop elements were gone, and in it's place was very average Alternative Rock that just sounded like literally every other act out there in 1995.  So it's been a little while since we've heard from Belly.  23 years actually....whoa nelly.  But to be honest, these singles are actually really pleasant, catchy Rock tunes.  Let's talk about this new Belly album.

This album starts out with “Mine”, and it’s certainly a very shimmering, glossy start.  There are some nice vocals and a very colorful atmosphere.  And for the most part, this sort of sounds like we left off with Belly.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing either, it actually works here very nicely.  But if this is what the majority of this album is going to be made up of, this is going to get old fast.  But for now, this is a very sunny, catchy and sort of innocent sounding Pop Rock tune.  I don’t feel like this is too much of nostalgia either, at least not yet.  Not to mention there’s just enough melody here to make this one carry smoothly.  The guitars are melodic, the atmosphere is sunny, I really don’t mind “Mine” as an opening.  Meanwhile, “Shine One” has a little oomph added to it with some very funky drums.  But instantly, I’m starting to feel like Belly is already running out of ideas.  And yes, that’s very bad.  There really isn’t anything about this track that really stands out to me at all.  At the very least, this album’s intro had some Pop elements which is what that made me enjoy Belly’s work casually in the past.  But “Shine One” is more of the same, in the absolute worst way.  The riff here is so generic, and the vocals don’t even have that sweetness to it that I was into at the start.  This album is going fast awfully quick.  “Human Child” quiets things down even further.  But what I feared the most about this album is happening right in front of my eyes.  Comeback albums are fine, some are quite good.  But no one shows up after 26 years without changing their style and not mixing things up a little to sound fresh.  “Human Child” sounds dated on arrival.  This isn’t a tasteful throwback, this just sounds like they’re trying too hard.  The result isn’t fun or catchy, it’s just sort of tasteless and incredibly bland.  Did I mention this one rolls on for a whopping 6-minutes?  For what reason, we may never know, but man is it boring.  Then we have “Faceless”, and at this point, a stripped-down acoustic number really isn’t what I wanted to hear.  Thankfully it does pick up a little bit.  Like, a LITTLE, so at the very least we get some memorable guitars.  But everything else about this one is just as bland as I feared it could be.   The vocals are laughably bland, this just sounds so original.  “Faceless” doesn’t even sound like it was recorded this generation, in the absolute worst way.  No, it sounds like it was an early track they just gussied up a little or re-recorded.  And no, it’s not good, it’s painful.  Did I mention almost every track here gets dangerously close to the 5-minute mark?  I literally need a coffee. 

    This album rolls on with “Suffer The Fools”, and by this point, all I really have to say is “No thank you”.  We’ve literally flown so far South that eventually got Belly the fans that they had in the early 90’s.  This is an incredibly awkward ballad that I really can’t take seriously.  A lot of the lines are overly cheesy and the instrumental is literally putting me to sleep.  I would swear, this album has just spiraled out of control more and more by the minute.  A comeback album is one thing, but this is effortless.  Now, at the very least I really like the shimmering atmosphere on “Girl”, and the sort of Pop side this one has.  I don’t really know where the energy has gone on this album, I really don’t.  But of all of the evils here, this is actually not nearly as bad.  Hell, it’s actually sweet and endearing.  And yes, I’m away that we’re literally dealing with Piano Rock.  On that note, what the hell is up with all of these comeback albums transitioning to Piano Rock these days?  I don’t even want to know the answer actually, but this track is catchy and charming.  Also, it has that sort of colorful atmosphere I’ve enjoyed in the past.  The guitars are melodic, it’s endearing, I really don’t have any issues.   But HEY, “Army of Clay” is up next, and this one is actually sort of upbeat.  It’s a pleasant surprise, and this one actually has some punch to it.  The riff is solid, the vocal performances are bluesy and pleasant, and just hearing Belly in a more upbeat atmosphere is great.  It’s easily one of the more straightforward tracks here, but it’s also just so catchy and fun.  Hell, I almost completely forgot about how awful this album was getting.  Almost.  But Belly keeps it up with “Stars Align” surprisingly.  This one is easily one of the more Pop-centered tunes of the album.  But at this point, I’ll be honest, it’s what’s working for me the most.  This one has a nice breezy atmosphere, and it just comes off so youthful.  Like, in these atmospheres, this is so much more tasteful.  It’s determined, upbeat, and a really sweet Pop Rock tune.  And once again, it just seems so freakin’ simple and straightforward.  But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t into it. 
    But with “Quicksand” we’re taken right back to this absolutely piss poor singer-songwriter garbage.  Everything that was sort of fun and youthful about this album has gone out the window completely.  Not even just slightly, completely.  We’ve transitioned from a semi-decent comeback album to….Adult Alternative *shudders*.  And no, it’s not good.  It just sounds like Belly is desperately ripping off Mazzy Star, and no that’s not what I’m here for.  I’ll give “Quicksand” this though, it’s probably one of the best utilization of Piano Rock here.  But besides that, no thank you.  But then we get a straight up Country song with “Artifact”.  That’s right and honest to God Country song.  A southern fried, sort of goofy Country song.  But at this point in the album, this is practically ballsy and I feel like they can actually pull this off.  It’s sweet, breezy, and has a lot of really breezy vibes to it.  No joke, if we got an album filled with tracks like this I would be thrilled.  If you’re into Alternative Country of any era, especially the more sunny kinds, check this out.  But apparently, my tolerance for Country sounding tunes has been all used up.  “Heartstrings” has a lot fo the same elements, but is so much more stripped down.  And the result is just so awkward and goofy, and amateurish in the worst way.  It’s not cute or sweet or anything close.  This is just boring and really makes me hope this is all we hear from Belly.

Rating: 6.4/10

Give A Listen To: "Mine", "Girl", "Artifact", "Stars Align"

Genre: Alternative Rock / Pop Rock

Overall Thoughts:  This easily could have been a charming come back album with a handful of fun tunes.  But realistically that's far from what we get, not even close.  This album doesn't sound fresh or new, it sounds immediately dated.  Half of this album doesn't even sound like it was written or recorded recently, it sounds like gussied up B-Sides and rarities from ages ago.  There are some pleasant tunes here and there, and some of the more Pop-oriented moments are seriously charming.  But the majority of this album just shows Belly grasping for anything close to a sound that resembles where they were in the mid-90's.