Search - Belleville :: Belleville

This new California group revolves largely around the figure of it's leader, Mark Caputo (vocals, guitar, piano and banjo), who considers this debut disc a kind of starting point for his band, a simple, straight-forward introduction as they try to make a name for themselves on the regional roots rock scene in the U.S. The brevity of the album Belleville, released last spring with ten songs lasting only thirty minutes makes this a kind of demo for the band, but a very well polished demo at that. you can check out their web site and listen to some mp3 selections to get an idea their fresh, free-ranging sound, a clean "roots rock" that grows out of the world of "no depression." It might be too quick to say if they have what it takes to emerge from the pack of pretenders, but they do seem to have a knack for writting little country gems. The first song, Blame, for example, is a lo-fi country ballad that sounds part Sparklehorse, or minor key songs like Windchime(featuring Bruce Drake on vocals and pedal steel) or Riverman, which seem to be taken right out of the alt. country manual written by Son Volt and its various progeny. More pop driven, but still filled with nice little hooks, are the honky tonk sound of Gatherer, the country rythmn of Curb and Gutter(which opens with the sound of a jew's-harp) and Tulsa County Blues. The two covers also give a hint as to what the band is all about: a faithful rendition of Neil Young's Everybody Knows this is Nowhere and the light but intriguing traditional tune, Blackberry Blossom