Music Under Fire

Bell X1 immediately struck me as an odd name for a band when I first noticed them this week. Its amazing it can take some music to move from overseas to the States, and Bell X1's previous albums, which had no exposure to the US, can be said of this.

Already making an impact on the US market, the Irish band's latest album Flock has been an immediate success. Although the album had been released in the UK in 2006, the recent release of Flock this past Tuesday (February 26th) marked a huge jump for Bell X1.

And as slow as it took for their popularity to grow in the States, their name may be known by their former moniker, Juniper, which the well-documented Damien Rice fronted, and the current lead singer, Paul Noonan, played drums. The amazing transition happened after Rice left the band to go solo, releasing the simply titled O in 2002 with is most riveting song "Blower's Daughter". Since his departure, Noonan hesitantly took the vocalist position and soon found it growing on him. (thanks to http://www.movedigital.com/ for the mp3 for Bad Skin Day)

MP3: Bell X1 - Rocky Took A Lover
MP3: Bell X1 - Bad Skin Day

I highly recommend listening to WXPN's interview and live session, which Bell X1 performs an acoustic set including two of their most beloved tracks from Flock, "Rocky Took A Lover" and "Bad Skin Day". In the interview, Noonan elaborates on the meaning of the song title, "Rocky Took A Lover", which just so happens to be about a homeless drunk, whom the band let sleep behind their house. The acoustic version of "Rocky Took A Lover" is one of the most amazing live sessions I've heard this year.

Check out WXPN's Live at the World Cafe. You can steam it in Real Player or in Windows Media Player.

Buy Bell X1's Flock on iTunes!

Video: Bell X1 - Rocky Took A Lover