Montréal brings to mind a wonderfully eclectic sound of orchestral rock if you pay attention to the subtle undercurrents of musical culture. From the classically inspired post-modern sound of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the clashing orchestral-and-pop yet thoroughly invigorating expression from Stars, to the legendary style of The Arcade Fire, Montréal creates a distinct form of uniqueness to round out the wild renaissance of Canadian music within the last decade.
The Arcade Fire in particular embodies a strong sense of orchestral rock, only rivaled by the still of the former Seattle orchestral rock band, Some By Sea. But between Funeral and Neon Bible, some of the members of the Québecois collective got antsy, and needed to pursue their own musical endeavours. First was violinist Owen Pallett, who formed his solo side-project, Final Fantasy. Then there was the post-rock and/or chamber rock sound of Bell Orchestre, a band known for their lack of lyrics and their intense, inspiring music.
Things have been oppressively quiet from Bell Orchestre ever since the release of Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light. And though their secretive demo preceding Recording a Tape... dribbled slowly into the music world, upcoming information from the humbly quiet band was scarce; they simply said that they were busy working on a future album, with no date in particular set for a release.
But finally, a light shines forth! Bell Orchestre has announced that their sophomore album, As Seen Through Windows, is due for release on March 10th of this year. To celebrate the completion of their album, they're giving Canada and New York a treat of some live shows through Feburary and April. But the new album, Recorded in Soma Studios in Chicago (as opposed to the notorious Montréal haunt Hotel2Tango), As Seen Through Windows will be released by none other than the broad Canadian record label Arts & Crafts, entering Bell Orchestre into the ranks of Broken Social Scene, Los Campesinos!, The Most Serene Republic, and many more. As if this wasn't exciting enough, Bell Orchestre has also released two brand new songs from As Seen Through Windows, "The Gaze" and "Elephants."
I'm shocked you're still here, reader! Hurry, hurry, because Bell Orchestre's new songs are not something to idly miss. Rush on over to Bell Orchestre's Myspace and listen to their latest songs from their forthcoming album, As Seen Through Windows, right now!
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