Belly
Star

THE REVIEW

The Belly was formed by Tanya Donelly, already guitarist of the Throwing Muses and the Breeders, in Boston (USA) in 1992. They released their first album with Sire/Reprise in 1993. The not-so-refined sounds and the essential arrangements make Star a pleasant mainstream album, which however does not feature a defined stylistic paradigm that distinguishes the Belly from other groups. Donnelly proves to possess a composed songwriting ability, never over-the-top, ranging from pop rock to blues up to the acoustic ballad.

The first two tracks are fantastic. Someone To Die For is a very sweet acoustic lullaby. Angel is an enchanting dream pop piece... In the chorus, you seem to hear the sighs of Kim Gordon. Dusted, a track that relies on an overused hard rock riff, is pleasant to listen to even though it doesn't shine with originality. The quirky, dreamy pop of Every World is played with a handful of simple and effective power chords. Gepetto could have been the single instead of Feed The Tree. Witch is a wonderful minimalist guitar sketch accompanied by a gentle and melancholic vocal line. Slow Dog is a conventional rock track that turns country in the chorus... Very catchy. Low Red Moon is a dissonant blues ballad and is one of the best episodes of the album. Full Moon, Empty Heart is yet another blues, this time more conventional. It continues with White Belly, which although nothing exceptional, imprints its melody in the listener's mind. The instrumental track Star precedes Untogether, a decent acoustic ballad, heard and reheard. Sad Dress is the most peculiar track of the album, but despite this, it doesn't seem to have much new to say. The curtain falls with yet another ballad, titled Stay.

Star is undoubtedly not a bad album, catchy and well-played, also containing some gems (Someone To Die For, Angel, Witch, Low Red Moon). The risk of it becoming tiresome after a certain number of listens is there because perhaps it's a bit too long, and in the final tracks, it seems to drag on wearily... Still, it's a risk worth taking, don't you think?!