In a word: pleasant.
Wild Belle’s debut album, Isles, is pleasant but not much more. The Chicago-based duo is made up of Elliot Bergman and (the Belle) Natalie Bergman, siblings eight years apart who have each been playing music independently since childhood. When Natalie was 16 the two began to collaborate more seriously, with the little sister playing tambourine and singing back up for her older brother’s college band Nomo. Eventually the two split to form their own group, incorporating jazz, African, and Jamaican influences and a hefty dose of reverb to create a subtle psychedelic-pop feel.
In my book, intra-family combos instantly get a slight “Ah! Siblings. That’s cool” bump up, especially when they’re a pair of Midwesterners flexing their reggae game. However, the Midwest sibling token doesn’t go very far when the album has a few neat tunes, catchy hooks, and respectable solos but strains overall to develop past a take-it-or-leave-it combination of simple melodies, repetitive vocals, and unexceptional lyricism. Let’s categorize for a moment.
My grievances: The lyrics. The poor, poor lyrics. “When It’s Over” gives Elliot a chance to show off his pipes, but the relentless chorus pushes me to the brink of making an ironic pun using the song’s title: “He’s no good for you / I told you so / he’s no good for you / but you don’t know.” Another lyrical mess is “Happy Home,” and although it starts off strong with a quirky electronic melody an edgy electric guitar, it begins to flounder and flatten before it hits the first chorus. Lastly, the video for the single “Keep You” gets downright uncomfortable. I get that the song refers to a “little man” but actually watching a dysfunctional love story between a grown woman and a 12-year-old boy may have been funnier as a concept than it is in film. With that out of my system, it’s time to give credit where it’s due.
My praises: While I don’t believe that Isles will mark Wild Belle’s best days, I do believe it shows a starting point for better things to come. To release an album infused with this mix of genres is no small feat, and with even a bit of repetition the album’s merits rise from the woodwork. Video notwithstanding, “Keep You” is a reggae-drenched jam with plodding but dynamic percussion, a funky sax overlay, and undertones of Santigold. In the following “It’s Too Late,” the sibs pull off a jazzy sax solo, a buzzing synth rhythm, and choppy ska-style guitar to form a foreign cocktail that you approach with skepticism but finish with approval. Isles displays its energetic side in the poppy and upbeat “Shine” and the tropical meandering of “Twisted.”
I want to like these two. I really do. But Isles doesn’t reach the depth that marks the difference between an enjoyable record and one that reaches past your ears and really gets in your head. I’d be willing to check back when they release their next album, but for now they just lack a certain chutzpah to make Isles more than a pleasant absentminded listen.
Isles