Bell X1

Bloodless Coup (Bell X1's fifth studio album) finds the Irish band dipping their toes into an unfamiliar ocean, and then deciding they prefer the safety of familiar waters instead. It starts off promisingly enough, with the blips and beeps that introduce first track "Hey Anna Lena," but that new, refreshing sparseness disappears far too quickly and by the time they hit the third song, they are back to their old tricks, playing the generic stadium rock they love so much. The frustrating thing is that when the songs are taken individually, there's much to like about Bell X1. They can write catchy, radio-friendly tunes like "Velcro," but their albums are always filled with such obvious filler that it's impossible not to skip between tracks. If they had given into their more experimental side, Bloodless Coup could have been their first really solid record. But like its predecessors, there is more bad than good. Wait for the inevitable Greatest Hits instead.