The Bell

Living in the northern hemisphere near the polar circle puts you in a unique mental state. Amidst the sunny disposition of Labrador Records and the gloom of Swedish death metal, Sweden's The Bell, finds a cozy corner nested in the looming shadows of abnormally long winter nights by transcending Manchester England circa 1983 with the post-punk revival of today.

Finding themselves in perpetual cold and darkness, facing months of never ending winter nights force The Bell members, Nicklas Nilsson (instruments), Mathias Stromberg (Vocalist) and Jan Petterson (instruments) to spend a good portion of their lives between four walls. Making the most of this interlude in hibernation, they wrote and recorded 35 songs in less than a year, with ­­­­­13 landing on their full-length release, Make Some Quiet. Reveling in the effects of listening to music with wide perspectives on melodies and harmonies, the songwriting process develops naturally for the Swedish coterie. Lyricist and vocalist, Stromberg adds, "The lyrics that I write are very much adapted to the music and has been a result of single feelings and thoughts rather than worked-through poetry. Our common way to work is by starting with this song should be about X and called X and then work within that idea."

The Bell awaken memories from the early days of alternative pop, while ending up smack in the middle of now to take us both forward and back in time. A trio with a great love for drum machine induced guitar melodies and classic pop tunes, they manage to balance that fine line bet­ ween modern pop and its musical roots. Immediately after hearing The Bell, Badman Recording Co (My Morning Jacket, Mark Kozelek, Sigur Ros) CEO, Dylan Magierek, felt compelled to sign them. He says of his first Scandinavian signing, "Every so often a band comes around that brings you back to the time when music truly acted as a soundtrack to your life. Just like the effect bands Echo and the Bunnymen, The Cure and the Chameleons had on you a few decades back. The Bell brings us back to that feeling of the good early alternative days of our lives."

With an affinity for the ironic while admitting that band names are a strange thing, Stromberg confesses, "At one point, I really thought the idea of 'concrete marketing' was a good thing, and that we should call ourselves Three Men With Serious Doubts and Questionable Integrity… The Bell sounds better, no?"

Employing an instrumental swap meet of sorts, sharing vocals and instruments allows the group to possess their music entirely. Nilsson says, "We never think much about who is going to play what, we are too busy making songs. If one of us grabs a guitar, he doesn't come up with an idea, chords or melody in isolation from the others, it remains a collective effort. It's really more like three brains working through one body."

From start to end, Make Some Quiet belongs to the band: music, production, cover art, videos and official internet representations. A band with an obvious penchant for the particular, The Bell prepares for Make Some Quiet to debut in the US on February 12, 2008, and we'll bet you a bottle of Absolut their songs will be stuck in your head after just one listen.