Anomie Belle
Belle in 2009
Belle in 2009
Background information
Genreselectronic, trip hop, art pop, experimental, neo soul, avant-garde, glitch
Instrument(s)vocals, violin, guitar, synthesizer, drums, electronics, bass, laptop, sampler, drum machine, live looping
Years active2008–present
LabelsDiving Bell, Ninja Tune
WebsiteOfficial Site

Anomie Belle (an·o·me bel) is an American multi-instrumentalist,[1] vocalist, songwriter, producer, and artivist from Seattle. Originally a classically-trained violinist and songwriter, Belle began writing and recording music as a child.[2] Belle has since developed an eclectic[3] and avant-garde musical style that incorporates aspects of electronic, classical,[4] art pop, experimental, trip hop,[5] glitch, and soul.[6]

Belle's music grapples with issues ranging from critiques of power to intimacy and sexuality, and often explores the emotional experiences of "beautiful alienation"[7] created by the isolation and passive guilt of unsustainable lifestyles that are destructive to human well-being and the natural environment.[8] Belle has also highlighted these issues in collaboration with artists across disciplines,[9] including Culture Jammers such as The Yes Men[10] and transgender choreographer, Sean Dorsey.[11] Belle is openly queer[12] and blurs typical representations of sexuality and gender.

History

Belle released a debut album Sleeping Patterns in November 2008.[13] In support of the release, Belle toured with Little Dragon and Manuok. Sleeping Patterns garnered further commercial success after the song How Can I Be Sure appeared in the Xbox 360 game Alan Wake. Belle toured extensively in 2009, 2010, 2011 in the US and Canada, first with The Album Leaf, and then with Tricky, and later with Gustavo Santaolalla's band Bajofondo. Live performances feature Belle performing vocals, violin, electric guitar, keyboards, bass, drum machine, samplers and programming by looping herself live. During a second tour with The Album Leaf and Sea Wolf, Belle also performed with The Album Leaf for their entire set.[14]

Belle's second album, The Crush, released in September 2011. It includes collaborations with Mr. Lif, Jon Auer of The Posies, and Trespassers William lead vocalist Anna-Lynne Williams, all of whom Belle has performed with on stage during their respective live performances.[15] Belle followed The Crush with several EPs, featuring members of the Sneaker Pimps,[16] remixes, and covers of Ain't No Sunshine and Everything in Its Right Place.

In 2012 Belle contributed vocals and production to several tracks on Eighty One, the album from Ninja Tune artist Yppah. The two artists met when they performed together on tour with Bonobo. Over the next two years, Belle toured in support of the album as a featured artist during live Yppah performances, performing on guitar, keys, violin, drum machine and vocals.[17]

Flux, Belle's third album, features an interdisciplinary art project exploring disillusionment and the search for identity, and was released in the US in August 2016,[18] and worldwide in 2017. Fourteen visual art pieces accompany the album in an artbook,[19] featuring new works from Marco Mazzoni, Redd Walitzki, Mark Demsteader, Kari-Lise Alexander, Casey Weldon, Meredith Marsone, Alessandra Maria, Alex Garant, Alpay Efe, Januz Miralles, Maria Teicher, Antonio Velfín, Alexandra Becker-Black and Zin Lim. Each piece is a portrait of Belle and her music, and was displayed at Modern Eden Gallery. Belle followed Flux with several EPs, including a cover of King of Carrot Flowers, and a full-length remix album, Flux Remixed, including remixes by Antibalas, Prefuse 73, Blockhead, DJ Nobody, Alex Banks, Diasuke Tanabe, Robot Koch, El Huervo, Cuushe, Monokle, Aiko Aiko, Lushloss, and Televangel of Blue Sky Black Death; with cover art by Minjae Lee (aka GrenoMJ).[20]

In 2018 Belle created original music (alongside musicians Alex Kelly, Jesse Olsen Bay, Ben Kessler, Grey Reverend) for Sean Dorsey's dance-theater work, Boys in Trouble, which was awarded an Isadora Duncan Award for Best Music/Sound. The work is performed by the 5 dancer-performers of Sean Dorsey Dance, and unpacks contemporary American masculinity with unflinching honesty and from unapologetically trans and queer perspectives.[21] Boys In Trouble premiered in April 2018 at San Francisco's Z Space before launching a 2-year, 20-city international tour.[21]

Discography

Albums

  • 2008 Sleeping Patterns
  • 2011 The Crush
  • 2017 Flux (Diving Bell Co.)
  • 2018 Flux Remixed (Diving Bell Co.)

Singles and EPs

  • 2011 How Can I Be Sure EP
  • 2011 Inky Drips EP
  • 2011 Machine EP
  • 2012 Picture Perfect (single) (Japan only)
  • 2018 Carrot Flowers EP
  • 2018 The Good Life EP
  • 2018 Right Way (single)
  • 2018 Lovers (single)
  • 2018 Saturday Gives (single)

Appearances

Compilation appearances

  • 2009 No Lip Vol. 3 (Mohawk Bomb Records)
  • 2010 Alan Wake - OST Limited Edition Soundtrack
  • 2013 Plush - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande Records)

Contributor

TV, Film and Video Game uses

  • Belle wrote and recorded the song "Violence" for the Catherine Hardwicke film Plush
  • "February Sun", "How Can I Be Sure", "On TV", "American View", "Before You Leave Me", and "Bedtime Stories" appeared on episodes of Jersey Shore (TV series)
  • "How Can I Be Sure" appeared on an episode of United States of Tara
  • "Inky Drips", "Privilege", "Before You Leave Me", "How Can I Be Sure", and "February Sun" appeared on episodes of MTV's Friendzone (TV series)
  • Belle scored the short film Dark Material
  • "American View" appeared on an episode of Roadtrip Nation
  • "How Can I Be Sure" appeared on Xbox 360 and computer game Alan Wake
  • Belle wrote and recorded original music for Shaun Scott's film Seat of Empire
  • "Down" appeared in the film L.A., I Hate You
  • "John Q Public" appeared on Microsoft Windows game APB: All Points Bulletin
  • "Down" appeared in the independent film Jamie and Jessie Are Not Together
  • "February Sun" appeared in the film Todo el Mundo tiene a Alguien Menos Yo ("Everybody's Got Somebody But Me")
  • "Unwind" and "How Can I Be Sure" appeared in the film Good Kisser

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Barron, Daniel (August 27, 2016). "Art Pop Gets Redefined with Anomie Belle's 'Flux'". Beautiful Bizarre.
  2. ↑ Christ, Sal (May 14, 2012). "Soundcloud Gems: Anomie Belle". 303 Magazine.
  3. ↑ Robbins Jr., David (November 23, 2011). "Machine (f. Mr. Lif)". Their Bated Breath.
  4. ↑ Lopez, Xavier (August 6, 2016). "Expression Through Beauty, Music, Art and Creativity!". Seattle PI.
  5. ↑ Levy, Marc (September 22, 2013). "Trip hop comes back with Anomie Belle Saturday at sultry Middle East show". Cambridge Day.
  6. ↑ Senn, Chris (September 16, 2011). "Anomie Belle – The Crush". Backbeat Seattle. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  7. ↑ Barnabe, Dylan (August 24, 2016). "Flux". Exclaim!.
  8. ↑ Liu, Marian (October 28, 2008). "Anomie Belle brings politically conscious trip hop to the Tractor Sunday". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  9. ↑ Nikole, Kindra (August 7, 2016). "Anomie Belle & Redd Walitzki". Beautiful Bizarre.
  10. ↑ Jarvis, Brooke (June 8, 2012). "Behind the Shell hoax". Salon Media Group.
  11. ↑ "Boys in Trouble: World Premiere by Sean Dorsey Dance". San Francisco Bay Times. April 5, 2018.
  12. ↑ Murphy, Sarah (July 22, 2016). "iMusic: Lovers". Exclaim!.
  13. ↑ Cusick, Dave (January 29, 2009). "Anomie Belle in studio performance and interview". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on April 6, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  14. ↑ Senn, Chris (Feb 6, 2010). "The Album Leaf + Sea Wolf + Anomie Belle - Neumos". Melophobe. Archived from the original on 2010-02-13.
  15. ↑ Kristek, Nicole (Sep 7, 2009). "Bumbershoot 2009". Melophobe. Archived from the original on 2009-09-24.
  16. ↑ Foley, Jack (November 29, 2011). "Anomie Belle announces free track Slither from Machine EP". Indie London.
  17. ↑ Shoemaker, Bryce (May 27, 2013). "Sasquatch Recap: Yppah feat Anomie Belle". Nada Mucho.
  18. ↑ "Anomie Belle, Lovers". Skope Magazine. July 22, 2016.
  19. ↑ Barnabe, Dylan (August 24, 2016). "Anomie Belle, Flux". Exclaim.
  20. ↑ "Anomie Belle On Writing Flux, Picking The Album Remixers, A Perfect Studio Day". Magnetic Magazine. October 12, 2018.
  21. 1 2 "San Francisco's Sean Dorsey Dance unpacks 'boy trouble'". SFChronicle.com. 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
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