Bella was a Canadian
indie pop band from
Vancouver, active from 2003 to 2011.
History
''Pretty Mess''
Initially, the band consisted of Cameron Fraser (guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals), Tiffany Garrett Sotomayor (drums, guitar, vocals), Matt Hutchings (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Charla McCutcheon (keyboards). In 2004, they released their debut album, ''Pretty Mess'', which was recorded in Fraser's bedroom but mixed by
Colin Stewart. Tom Harrison of ''
The Province'' compared the band's sound to 1980s bands
Martha and the Muffins and
Altered Images. Music from this album was featured on
CBC Radio 3 and on
MuchMusic
Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults.
MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...
.
''No One Will Know''
Bella was signed to
Mint Records, and the second album, ''No One Will Know'', produced by David Carswell and with contributions from
Roddy Bottum
Roswell Christopher Bottum (born July 1, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the keyboardist for the San Francisco alternative metal band Faith No More. He is also guitarist and co-lead vocalist for the pop group Imperial Teen, best kno ...
(
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...
),
Will Schwartz
Will Schwartz is an American pop musician. He is a member of the bands Imperial Teen, whose debut album '' Seasick'' was released in 1996, and hey willpower.
Of the "queer alt-rockers Imperial Teen," one ''New York Times'' reviewer wrote that ...
(
Imperial Teen), John Collins (
the New Pornographers) and
Jason Martin (
Starflyer 59, was released in 2007. It received mostly positive reviews from music critics. In a favourable review of the album, the ''
Edmonton Journal
The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network.
History
The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as ...
'' likened the band's sound to that of
Tegan and Sara. ''
Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' called it "futuristic indie pop at its most danceable." ''No One Will Know'' reached the top ten of multiple alternative and college album charts in Canada.
[(January 17, 2008). "Top 10", '']Winnipeg Free Press
The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...
'', p. E2.
Bella toured extensively and performed with
The Breeders,
Pretty Girls Make Graves,
The New Pornographers,
Phoenix,
Imperial Teen,
Viva Voce,
54-40
The Oregon boundary dispute or the Oregon Question was a 19th-century territorial dispute over the political division of the Pacific Northwest of North America between several nations that had competing territorial and commercial aspirations in t ...
, and
The Organ, among others.
The band broke up in 2011, when Sotomayor moved to
Barcelona and created the one-woman project 'That Girl With Dark Eyes'.
Discography
*''Pretty Mess'' (2004), Hideout Records
*''Bella/Columbus'' (2006, split with Columbus), Pop Echo Records
*''No One Will Know'' (2007), Mint Records
See also
*
Music of Canada
*
Canadian rock
*
List of bands from Canada
This is a list of bands from Canada. Only bands appear here; individual musicians are listed at list of Canadian musicians.
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See also
...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bella
Musical groups established in 2003
Musical groups from Vancouver
Canadian indie pop groups
Mint Records artists
2003 establishments in British Columbia