Album Review: Belleruche – Roller Chain

London’s Belleruche add themselves further into the realms of minimilist electro-pop.

First appearing on the scene with 2010’s ‘The Liberty EP’ and the LP ‘270 Stories’, Belleruche have been slowly garnering critical acclaim for their minimalist electro sound. Musically, they’re cousins of the Dum Dum girls: defined sounds with their own sense of production.

New album ‘Rollerchain’ is a small departure from the previous sounds, a case of evolution in action. The production values have definitely increased, but this means you feel the absence of sounds much more keenly, and it’s enabled them to showcase a wider range of styles.

Kathrin deBoer’s soul-style vocals vary between Moloko, Lou Rhodes (Lamb) and Beth Gibbons witha hint of Stevie Nicks; it’s a versatile mix, and she’s got total control of what she’s singing and uses her voice to greater effect that on their initial releases.

Of course, without the backing we have nothing, and throughout Rollerchain we have a strong evidence that it’s not just deBoer that has been diligently evolving her sound. Although there is a strong sense of identity throughout the album thanks to great production, it’s the ido-syncracies in each song that make it an enjoyable listen from start to finish, and for that we have Ricky Fabulous and the wonderfully monikered ‘DJ Modest’.

The lead single is ‘Stormbird’, a driving, head bopping indie-dance number that will give you an indication of if this band for you, but I’m fairly confident that they’ll be enough in there for you to want to listen to more.
‘Reach for the Bottle’ is reminiscent of Moloko, while ‘Wasted Time’ has a Nine Inch Nails (thanks to its moody synth) feeling to it; ‘Cloverleaf’ brings you elements of ‘Portishead.

It’s a dark album with beams of sunlight hidden beneath its wonderfully rich exterior. I cannot recommend it enough.

RL

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