A couple of years ago the future looked bright for the Kildare band Juniper, with a strong live reputation and the legendary Mike Hedges set to produce their debut album. Then their lead singer - the hilariously named Dodi Ma - quit, forcing the remaining members to regroup as Bell X1. In contrast to Juniper's bombastic sound, this record is a much slower, substantial piece of work. New vocalist Paul Noonan delivers these mournful, semi-acoustic songs in a weary but confident American twang. Unfortunately nothing really stands out and lyrically it's obscure to the point of being irritating. For the moment, the verdict has to be that Bell X1 are nothing to get excited about.

Your Comments

No comments have been posted for this article yet. Be the first!