Review: The Van Allen Belt – Heaven On A Branch

If anyone should ask you “I’m looking for a band that don’t sound like anyone else”, then Pittsburgh’s The Van Allen Belt must surely qualify. If you can imagine an alien Karen Carpenter singing on The Avalanches’ first album, you’ll get a taste of what they’re about. This is only half the story, though, as we once more enter the curious, exotic world of The Van Allen Belt.

Never ones for subtlety, the record kicks off with the ultra-bouncy ‘Rain’ and the ever distinctive, classically-trained voice of Tamar Kamin: part 60’s girl pop siren, part hectoring spokeswoman. The song is underscored by Scott Taylor’s highly imaginative turntable and percussion skills and it’s Benjamin Ferris who we have to thank for the subversive songwriting and production, as well as a selection of choices of samples and mad keyboards. Time has done little to diminish the fine balance of invention and craziness since 2010’s ‘Superpowerfragilis’, so when Kamin urges “Don’t you worry your head’ on ‘Words’ at the centre of the album, the warning might come a little too late for the uninitiated.

That said, ‘Clouds’ boasts another reliably creative production but the relatively mainstream melody provides a welcome comfort and contrast to the often unhinged nature of some of the songs. Humour is at the core of much of the The Van Allen Belt’s lyrics, not least on ‘Afternoon Walk Of Shame’ (where “Everybody Knows My Name”). Versatility is undoubtedly a strength here. Some tight percussion and Tom Altes’ bass add a slinky edge to the streamlined ‘Slopes’ whilst ‘Bandi Shaum’ seems to borrow inspiration from The Chordettes’ ‘Mr. Sandman’. Then demonstrating their cinematic potential, ‘This Is The Best Shower I Have Ever Taken’ is part dream pop, part lost Hollywood film score and ‘Different Storm’ captures the melodrama of a Bond theme.

‘Heaven On A Branch’ isn’t the most coherent album you’ll ever hear. It’s all over the shop stylistically and thematically but their songs are always touched by warped genius and this record is no exception. Long may their peculiar journey continue.

Web Sites:
The Van Allen Belt Official Site
The Van Allen Belt Bandcamp

Further Listening:
The Avalanches, The Carpenters, RedTails

Review: The Van Allen Belt – Superpowerfragilis

There is surely no band quite like Pittsburgh’s The Van Allen Belt. After being introduced to their startling music via the Irish digital label Indiecater, that idea still holds for the follow-up. The group’s chief skills is to create authentically ambitious soundtrack music that wouldn’t sound out of place in Hollywood films from the 1950’s-1970’s, were it not for the bizarre lyrical matter.

‘Out Of Lunch’ is the kind of twisted take on musicals that the act have specialised in and sets the scene for equal parts brilliance and madness. The arrangements on ‘The Way You Look’ is worthy of Bacharach with only the earthy lyrics bringing the listener back down to this planet. However inventive the production is though, Tamar Kamin is just as important to the Van Allen Belt sound, showing great versatility with her powerful vocals; particularly impressive in her sassy soul siren guise for ‘1997’ and downright scary for the unhinged ‘The Status Quo (A Line Dance)’.

‘Superpowerfragilis’ didn’t excite me quite as much as their debut but that’s partly because I knew what to expect. Nevertheless, they are a band who are still in a rather wonderful world of their own and their power to subvert popular music genres shows no signs of running out.

Web Sites:
The Van Allen Belt MySpace

Further Listening:
The Avalanches

Review: The Van Allen Belt – Meal Ticket To Purgatory

Given the amount of technology currently available to budding artists, will there ever be a chance to invent a new style of music altogether? Well, Pittsburgh’s The Van Allen Belt truly belong in the genre called “unclassifiable” even if they helpfully categorise themselves as “other/psychedelia” on their MySpace site. No matter, their first album could become an obscure classic.

On the one hand there are Tamar Kamin’s vocals and the big Motown production. Then there’s Scott Taylor and his mad skills on the turntables. If you can imagine Phil Spector ever decided to make a soundtrack for a political satire and enlisted The Avalanches to help out, ‘Meal Ticket To Purgatory’ might have been the result. The lyrics are an even more surreal experience. ‘Charity Sex’ seems like a swish swinging Sixties song until you really start to listen to lines like “She already ditched you for another man but I’d stay with you ‘til my final breath. For I’d sooner move to Afghanistan where girls like me get stoned to death”. Clearly something has gone awry in Pittsburgh at some point in time.

It’s a theory borne out several times. The most twisted take on gospel music can be heard on ‘Dr. Layman’s Terms’.  ‘So It Goes’ starts off as the kind of devoted, soulful ballad which Dusty Springfield would have been proud to sing, although she may have objected to the raging guitars and maddening rhythms accompanying her. In fact, each song seems to give out contradictory messages; ‘The Revolution Will Be Merchandised’ is delivered with passion and conviction rather than the sarcasm you’d expect and the lush ‘I Can’t Believe You Murdered Me’ evokes TV themes from the 1960’s like Stingray and even adds a cracking percussive break for good measure. I’m afraid I have no clue what ‘The River Hive’ is about but it’s a fabulously epic pop song nevertheless.

Without a doubt, The Van Allen Belt have made the kind of music which is likely to make people sit up and listen as soon as they hear it. Yet the real achievement of ‘Meal Ticket To Purgatory’ is that it can still cause a thrill even after a few listens; a testament to the durability of these wonderfully odd songs.

Web Sites:
The Van Allen Belt MySpace
Indiecater Label and Shop Site

Review: KIDCITY – KIDCITY

KIDCITY comprise Caleb and Kelly Ann who present their style as “clip hop”. Since they also claim their sound is positioned between Enya and Dr. Dre, it’s clear that the Toronto twosome have a sense of humour too.

For a more accurate representation of their music, there is no greater indication than ‘Bloody Face’. Against a glitchy backdrop of noise and beats, Kelly Ann’s distorted vocal shifts from robotic threat to melancholic ache. The shift from cold, austere music to something rather serene and beautiful is a masterstroke from the duo and this turns out to be their USP. ‘Blackened’ and ‘Values’ are made of a similar formula with Kelly Ann’s clear vocals recalling the singer-songwriters from the 1970’s rather than the trendy frontpersons of today’s electro acts. Not everything works: ‘Phyrne’ comes across as rather shrill and even though trip hop is well covered for both ‘Insurance’ and ‘All Grown Up’, the random bleeping effects begin to grate after a while.

KIDCITY offer a different perspective on the usual boy/girl electro acts. Having said that, it would be interesting to see them break out of their defiantly lo-fi production and embrace their melodic side a little further next time.

Web Sites:
KIDCITY Official Site
KIDCITY Bandcamp

Further Listening:
The Van Allen Belt, The Artificial Sea