Gordon Bell & The Sinking Ships

Gordon Bell & The Sinking Ships – www.myspace.com/icebergs
Gordon Bells Lieder sind der Dunkelheit tiefster Nacht entwachsen. Von einer rostigen, alten Schreibmaschine in ein unendliches Meer schwarzen Kaffees hineingeboren, umspielt von Melodien, die aus einem schäbigen Casio Keyboard dringen, berichten sie von gar wunderlichen Dingen: Es sind Geschichten von Liebe und Trug, von Schönheiten und Bestien, die Gordon & seine Crew –  Kat Tieftontaucher und Professor Ray Gunn –  in einen wohlig warmen Klangteppich verweben. Als Gordon Bell & The Sinking Ships befahren sie unermüdlich die stürmische See Helvetiens, mit einer Kielladung voll unerhört schwarzhumoriger Geschichten die Herzen ihrer Zuhörerschaft zu erwärmen.

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Shows

Plenty of shows coming up soon folks. As always keep your eyes on the shows page:

https://gordypops.wordpress.com/shows/

Where else?

Gordon Bell & The Sinking Ships

Yep, we have a band. Kat Kunz on bass and sax. Professor Ray Gunn on drums. Me on the ivories and vocals. We have a name, and we have a first gig.
Sunday 22.Nov.2009 Casa Bar, Zürich – we’ll play a 40 minute set or so.
Good times!

Yours truly interviewed on Radio Mearns FM’s Stramash!

What do you mean you missed it!?

stramashmearnsfm.wordpress.com/

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16 Candles

  I wrote this song a couple of days ago. It’s rather sad and mournful. Infact it’s rather tragic. I seem to write sad songs easily. I don’t feel sad though. Thoughtful sometimes for sure.  Anyhow, I haven’t done any of the youtube vids of me playing for a while. I always feel a bit exposed doing that kind of stuff. It’s totally different from playing live because you have this invisible audience who you have no way of knowing properly. But I think I’m going to “pre-release” the whole next album as live takes. Maybe it’s interesting to see the pieces migrate from the live pieces just after writing to the finished CD recordings. So anyway, here’s the first one of these. It’s raw and has a few wee glitches in it including my ugly puss, so warts and all – 16 Candles.

Ian Simpson reviews Songs for the Broken Hearted

Gordon Bell – Songs for the Broken Hearted

Somewhere in the journey between True North and his ninth CD Gordon Bell decided that his alter-ego, Gustav Bertha, had to go. The rising popularity of Scotland’s most profilic export meant that some people didn’t realise that Gustav wasn’t his real name. While this may initially affect his listener base I doubt it will be long before the ill-informed catch up and dive into his strongest and most accessible album yet.

He is not one to name-drop his influences, but this album has clear muses. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band are long-time guides on Gordon’s musical path and evident in tracks such as Don’t Go and White Collar Slave. The Kinks, Pavement, and Tom Waits also deserve a mention here.

While at times the subject matter is dark, the album buzzes with humour and positive, upbeat melodies. American Boys taunts listeners with the line “Osama is coming to get you”, Lucky Stars is a double-twist love affair set during a war featuring a memorable tongue-in-cheek hook “so I took my place in a dead man’s bed”. The Pavement-esque chorus of lead track Song for the Broken Hearted is a mood lifting battle cry to those in despair. The final stages of Weightless is a journey from Parisian chic into 60s power pop which will have you singing along. The 50s noir atmosphere of The Policeman will stun – easily the best song on a strong CD.

Ian Simpson
www.myspace.com/thefamilysimpson