Belle Ghoul

Belle Ghoul: Rabbit's Moon and Doomsday 

Reviewed By: Dave Goodwin 
Label: Elefant Records 
Format: 10"

Christopher Tait, who was formerly in Electric Six, formed Belle Ghoul with the help of Jesse Paris Smith (Patti Smith and MC5 guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith's daughter), and Matt Van, Zach Shipps and Mike Alonso. Here they find themselves in a wonderfully creative mood with this new 10” mini-LP, 'Rabbit's Moon & Doomsday'. This is a diverse release, meandering between genres and playing with synthesizers and samples and echoes. It develops their foray into instrumental exploration whilst dipping expertly into the telltale mix of rock and electronic sounds that characterized the sound of Tait’s other band.

It is a pleasant mix of funky groove and danceable rock with lashings of digestible pop. 'Lake Of Fires' is proof of the pop side of their sound. Having echoes of the seventies, it is super enhanced by a great sounding Hammond which appears quite a few times over this mini LP. There are some good Kraftwerk blips that can be heard in if you listen closely. Hidden also inside the first half is a great version of the 'Twin Peaks' standard 'Timepieces', which sports wonderful moments of psychedelic-pop. The instrumental 'Momentum' closes side A, and is a track that incorporates splashes of piano with drips of glam which is no bad thing.

Side B opens with 'Winter’s Gone', an electronic pop pleaser even if it does curiously include accordions. It also has some touching, heartfelt melodies as does 'Around For The Weekend', which kicks in with a totally addictive keyboard riff and is blended with a dose of sunshine-pop and something every album should own - that northern soul style beat. I can't help feeling that that should have been the end track and swapped with the actual last song 'Mystery to Me'. Finishing with a whole host of wailing choruses amidst piano and asome cello style strings, this is definitely a record that will prove difficult to categorise and put into any one genre.