 | Bellflur Last Quarter of the 20th Century Blues (CD) |
Bio:
Dubbed by LosingToday.com as “thinking man’s indie rock,” Washington, DC-based Bellflur has sustained itself through multiple members, two releases, and ever-evolving musical tastes.
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Media Links & Downloads:
"Grey Sparkle Finnish Pig" (MP3)
Hi-Res Photos:
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Hi-Res Cover Art:
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On The Web:
www.bellflur.com
www.myspace.com/bellflur
www.facebook.com/pages/bellflur/95877865725
www.twitter.com/bellflur
www.last.fm/music/bellflur
www.ilike.com/artist/bellflur
www.sonicbids.com/bellflur
www.youtube.com/user/bellflur
Bio (Continued):
Scores of DC-based bands touted to be the next big thing have rapidly sprung up and dissipated just as quickly. But since its inception in 2001, Bellflur has been one of the few constants on the DC front yet to dry up. They have proven that risk-taking and the DIY ethic can indeed result in a musical freedom.
A band that has drawn a litany of comparisons– from Can and Radiohead, to Lake Trout and Tortoise, to Godspeed and Sigur Ros – Bellflur challenges genre-specificity. They thrive in lush space and musical grandeur just as easily as in odd time signatures, bare-boned harmonies and reticence. Following a performance at the inaugural DAM! Festival in 2007, DCist described Bellflur as a “band [that] has a knack for making things cold and detached sound pretty…”
At Bellflur’s live shows, the music's emotion and connectivity become evident. Whether the sound is perceived as “cold and detached” or “pretty,” Bellflur shows are as engaging for audiences as for the multi-tasking band members. The energy and movement in Bellflur's shows recall the liveliness of bands like Mute Math, with a discernable level of spontaneous creation comparable to that of TV On The Radio or Battles. With Bellflur’s core lineup of four, and frequent guest musicians, the band will tour relentlessly to support its second LP, asleep.asleep., scheduled for a Winter 2010 release.
A complete twelve-song record of entirely new material, asleep.asleep. exposes a familiar, yet entirely different Bellflur; one that shows the public how Bellflur shines in dynamic complexities and is found to be almost attacking its listeners with volumes of orchestral arrangements, moments of cathartic vocal choirs, head-swirling samples and sudden steps into folk-like minimalism. asleep.asleep. draws upon countless musical influences as well as guest musicians (eight to be exact) to convey a mood of loneliness and social bewilderment that occurs in and is felt by every individual at all stages of an ordinary day, whether that individual is awake or asleep. Bellflur will preempt the release of asleep.asleep. with a five-song EP (three of which will not appear on the final LP) entitled Last Quarter of the 20th Century Blues.
Bellflur is:
Carlos Gonzalez-Fernandez (Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, Samples)
Tom Longobardi (Bass, Keyboards, Vocals, Samples)
Hunter Sapp (Drums, Vocals, Samples)
Patrick Edwards (Guitar, Percussion, Glockenspiel, Samples)
RIYL:
Animal Collective, Can, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Lake Trout, Pink Floyd, Sparklehorse, Sigur Ros, Tortoise, Battles.
Press Quotes:
"'Atmospheric' is one of those ten-cent words that music writers like to use whenever a band coats their songs with the least bit of reverb. But atmospheric seems like the best adjective to describe a band whose xylophone samples and syncopated cymbal beats gives a rather clear visual of a waterfall, all from the comfort of a local concert venue. But before thinking that Bellflur belongs on one of those Pure Moods CDs, they'll rock out like they've found a way to reinterpret The Bends so that it fills every nook of a room… This self-described shy band makes their presence known on CD and onstage, and it's well worth paying attention." - DCist
"…at times reminiscent of Sigur Ros and Pink Floyd, the group manages to impart a unique intimacy and vulnerability." - The Big Takeover
"Sometimes good music comes from the strangest places, like Gaithersburg, Maryland where local group Bellflur are putting out some devestatingly impressive songs that combine the more interesting elements of post-rock with the epic side of Brit-pop (think Radiohead and Spiritualized). 'Read.Walk.Take.Talk.' is a good example of how Bellflur make good 'thinking man's' indie-rock that doesn't forget that the second word in indie-rock is 'rock.' Strong singing and inventive musicianship make Read Walk Take Talk an album that should be huge, by one of the more promising unsigned bands in America." - David Mansdorf, Losingtoday.com