The curious case of Belly: the early ’90s band whose two albums were a solid mix of guitar-based music and, at times, surreal lyrics made them one of the most promising bands of the decade. Alas, Belly’s early success led to a lot of excess on the road. By the time they got together to record their second record “King,” conflicts within the band were quite sharp. And although “King” could fall into the category of “sophomore slump,” for me, I thought it was a stronger album than “Star” — even though the first album has the lion’s share of hits (i.e., “Feed the Tree,” “Gepetto,” and “Slow Dog”).
Production issues with producer Glyn Johns at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas only exacerbated the conflicts within the band. Johns was adamant about recording the band live, and not recording the instruments and vocals separately — and then mixing all those elements in later. He instructed the group that their songs should be fully rehearsed before they arrived at the studio so they could record them quickly with few (if any) retakes. For a young band, that’s a lot of pressure — especially after the whirlwind success of their debut album.
When “King” was released in 1995, the record received tepid interest from the music buying public (selling 350,000 units). Even though most critics liked what they heard, the band was too melodic for the grunge era of the mid-’90s, and “King” stalled out at #57 on the Billboard Top 200. With “Star” the band sold 500,000 copies (earning them a Gold certification), so their label was expecting great things from their follow-up. Didn’t happen. So, long story short, lead singer (and primary songwriter) Tanya Donelly broke up the band in 1996.
Flash forward to 2016, and Belly got back together. Whatever conflicts the group had with each other were soothed with time and distance. With a couple of new songs written, the band figured they reached a “now or never” moment in their career when it came to touring. Their 2016 tour of the UK, Ireland, and parts of the US was quite successful. Playing to mostly sold-out venues, Belly realized their “now or never” moment may have a few extra years. So, the band headed into the studio to record their third album, “Dove.” The record will be released on May 4th, and “Shiny One” is the first song/single out of the gate.
So, what has 20 years in separate corners done for the band? For starters, they sound much more seasoned (age will do that to you). On “Shiny One,” Belly has crafted a slow-burning song whose hooks don’t immediately jump out at the listener. Chris Gorman’s steady groove under Gail Greenwood’s deep, melodic bass riff anchor the song in at a mid-tempo pace. Tom Gorman and Donelly bring in some riveting and rhythmic guitar playing adding layers to Donelly’s vocals — which, while exhibiting her trademark ethereal voice, has more resonance than it did 20 years ago.
In keeping with the title of this post (i.e., “First Impression”), I think this song is both a surprise and a solid effort. The surprise comes from the fact that there isn’t any trace of the ’90s era Belly in “Shiny One.” The band has made a conscious decision to progress beyond the “Star” and “King” years — and that’s a good thing. All four members have achieved a level of musical accomplishment that there’s really no need to do “Feed the Tree, Part II.” In true collaborative style, “Shiny One” is a team effort in terms of composition. This isn’t a Donelly demo that the band “Bellied Up.” Rather, Greenwood came up with the bass riff and the chorus, Tom Gorman and Donelly did the verses and the bridge, and Chris Gorman had a hand in shaping the entire song — and it shows. If “Shiny One” foreshadows what’s to come, music fans are in for a treat when “Dove” comes out in May.
