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from gotriad.com, sound advise, 07.08.04 Regina
Hexaphone Multi-instrumentalist Sara Bell has been a musical stalwart of the Raleigh music scene since the 1980s. She’s played in various bands—Shark Quest and Angels of Epistemology, to name a couple—and has even had a song written about her by none other than Ryan Adams. Now, she climbs in front of the microphone for the first time to front Regina Hexaphone and deliver the band’s long-awaited debut, “The Beautiful World.’’ Bell’s soft soprano gets lost in Jerry Kee’s snare drum at times, and the harmonies sometimes sound more awkward than organic. But the 12-tune debut delivers some of the most inventive arrangements to come out of North Carolina this year, with everything from vibes to lap steel to cello to runway feedback—that’s right, runway feedback—on tunes about ice, insects, heroes and lost love. The result, recorded at Mebane’s Duck Kee Studio, is beautiful and mesmerizing to listen to. By the way, Regina Hexaphone, which played last Friday at the Green Bean, will perform July 30 at The Garage and will unveil what’s been described as “twisted folk music from a faraway country.’’ An apt description, indeed. —Jeri Rowe |