Review: Andrew Belle – Black Bear (2013)

By Ryan G

As a music enthusiast I love it when I get surprised by how good a record is. Andrew Belle’s Black Bear is one such record.

I first heard about Belle while on an awkward first date (gotta love those). He came up because I was discussing my alma mater, Wheaton College, and my date mentioned that she was pretty sure Belle was from Wheaton. When I asked her out a second time (it didn’t pan out) I mentioned that Belle was coming to Columbus. I got into the meat of the record following his appearance in Columbus and I quickly became full of regret for not attending that show.

It would be easy to look at the demographic that follows Andrew Belle and blow him off as another flash-in-the-pan singer songwriter that it’s cool for the hipster Christian market to follow. Not so! Andrew Belle is versatile artist that will appeal to fans of Mat Kearney, John Mayer, and ambient rock bands like Paper Route, Leagues, and MUTEMATH. In fact, listening to Black Bear makes me a tad indignant on the behalf of his band, who seem a bit snubbed in the recognition department. Undoubtedly Belle is the brains behind everything, but still…

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S6g3pEw8uU&h=297&w=450]

Black Bear is a record that fits the Autumn season perfectly. As songs from the record periodically popped up while on my iPod was on shuffle on the drive home from the Nashville Slospeak Records Showcase, the tunes matched the twilight perfectly. “Pieces” brings the MUTEMATH vibes while “Details” emits vibes of shoegaze meets new wave. The production and composition are immaculate. “Wants What it Wants” offers a dark, pensive vibe that suits the Autumn mood I mentioned earlier best. A moody intro, giving way to a happier groove is enough to throw me for a loop but it works beautifully for some reason. Black Bear is chock full of these kinds of moments and more.

Andrew Belle had without a doubt released one of the dark horse records of 2013. Little media attention, yet lots of positive word of mouth from my peers make this release’s popularity somewhat of an enigma to me. Let’s change that, in a positive way.