Bell Orchestre

Canadian instrumentalists the Bell Orchestre formed in 2005 around the talents of bassist/percussionist/keyboardist Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire), violinist Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire), drummer Stefan Schneider (the Luyas), French horn player Pietro Amato (Torngat, the Luyas), trumpet player Kaveh Nabatian, and lap steel guitar player Mike Feuerstack (Snailhouse). With influences that range from Lee "Scratch" Perry and Talk Talk to Arvo Pärt and the Penguin Café Orchestra, the Montreal-based outfit crafts aerial slabs of classically infused post-rock that flirt with technology, while remaining determinedly fluid and organic. The band's 2005 Rough Trade debut, Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light, was nominated for a JUNO award in the category of Best Instrumental Album. In 2009 they released As Seen Through Windows on the Arts & Crafts label. ~ James Christopher Monger