BELLE GHOUL : Saturday Knife Fight

2013-RELEASES

The group is formed by one of the most active and versatile members of ELECTRIC SIX, the daughter of Patti Smith and Fred “Sonic” Smith (MC5) and the musical director for UNCLE KRACKER could be called anything but predictable. The treasure trove of musical culture found between those two comes out to shine in this group’s songs, and this is exactly what happens on their second release on Elefant Records and New Adventures In Pop. “Saturday Knife Fight” opens the limited edition 7” to the rhythm of northern soul, with echoes of Edwyn Collins. The song has a complicated but powerful arrangement structure that feels turbulent, but at the same time tremendously addictive. “Jack The Ripper” uses the metaphor of the well-known serial killer to talk about broken hearts, with a sound that falls somewhere between ambient electronic pop and melancholic indie pop, not too far off from our beloved TREMBLING BLUE STARS. “DSL #12” is solid proof of the project’s complexity: a pop base with new-wave spirit fed by synthesizers with space-age arrangements, all of which comes together perfectly in this tremendously suggestive song, topped off with burning guitars. It’s incredible. “Blownzia/Ripper (Reprise)” is an instrumental that tests the limits of BELLE GHOUL’s universe: between dreaming and cabaret, between Danny Elfman and Kurt Weill, like a story that you could never guess the ending to. And we hope the story never ends.