This weeks eargasm comes from Belleruche, a three piece whose roots lie in soul and blues but over the course of their three albums have always pushed for progression and an ethos that promotes creativity. An unusual lineup of guitar, DJ and vocalist, Belleruche's 2010 album 270 stories was the first time I was really able to connect with the band as they moved on from their almost background soul to a more consistent, evocative and almost abrasive record. The depth in sound that having a DJ offers to a band felt hidden on earlier records but finally it feels like DJ Modest is allowed to offer more than beats to the tracks.
Saying that, the track I've chosen, 3 Amp Fuse, is built around grandiose big-beat drums with little of a 'soul' inflection on the track. The song's swirling claustrophobic atmosphere is the epitome of this record showing that at the core of Belleruche is solid songwriting, fighting off what could easily become a formulaic and tiresome direction. Menacing string lines are introduced as the song builds on the looped drum line and though the song's climax is less than climatic, the song manages to achieve a sense that it has arrived at it's intended destination when it was supposed to and eases slowly out of the climax too.
This is a wonderfully crafted song as it shows that soul does not have to be brash and screechy to still pull decent punches.
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