Band: The Belle Game
Album: Ritual Tradition Habit
Written by: Chiara DiAngelo
Vancouver orchestral pop outfit The Belle Game recently released their debut album Ritual Tradition Habit. The three short songs whose individual titles combine to create the album title lend a gilded backdrop to the stunning record. As the trembling keys in the first bars of opening track “Ritual” reach your ears, the colours surrounding you swiftly fade away and the gorgeous textured tones spin you into shadowy darkness. Coming in and out of focus like a shaky-handed video camera, all of the images the densely layered instrumentals conjure in my head are sepia-hued old-Hollywood glamour shots. Beautifully cinematic, Ritual Tradition Habit could easily fit as the soundtrack to a film noir production.
Filled with a resplendent array of ethereal instrumentals, at the heart of this majestic album is vocalist Andrea Lo. A refined elegance to her vocals, the frontwoman is truly a force to be reckoned with. The dynamic range of her vocals lends her voice to become an additional instrument on songs such as the dazzling “Blame Fiction” and breathless “Keeps Me Up At Night.” Other standouts include the trumpeting single “Wait Up For You” as well as “Wasted Light,” which features one of the few glimpses of back-up vocals tangled up into Lo’s. For something a little bit different, the haunting reverb-laden intro into “Tradition” mimics the feeling of traditional monk chanting.
Building on the strength of their previous two EPs, The Belle Game are now primed to make their entrance as the belle of the orchestral pop ball. Originally slated for release last Fall, Ritual Tradition Habit came out on April 16 via Boompa Records. The band is celebrating with a short West Coast tour this Spring that includes dates with both Hannah Georgas and Half Moon Run. They’ll be in Toronto on July 12, playing a free show at Harbourfront with Born Ruffians. Full details can be found on their website.
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