How many of us set way-too-lofty goals at the beginning of quarantine? Like, was it just a thing that we all set out to achieve some longtime aspiration just because we were forced to stay home for a few months? I mean, for me it was learning to play guitar, and although I can proudly say that I can kinda-sorta squeak out the first verse of Lucy Dacus’ “Night Shift” and a few Mitski power chords, overall it was pretty much an epic fail. But fear not, the good thing for the world is that someone much more talented than me and with much more to say made good on their quarantine objectives.
The View From Halfway Down has been in the works for Andy Bell for four years now, but the album is finally completed now after taking advantage of the COVID-19 lockdown. Bell, known of course for his work with Ride and Oasis among other groups, has indicated that his full-length solo debut is not so much a demonstration of songwriting as it is a purely sonic experience—and a delightful one at that.
On the track, “I Was Alone,” Bell puts on an atmospheric show of ethereal dimensions. “I was alone / I was alone in the world,” he sings meditatively after an introduction highlighted by reverberant bass, effortless guitar chords, and distant chimes. “When I awoke, I was much less than before / All that I am, was only potential for more.” Although the album is mostly comprised of works that Bell’s been sitting on for a while, it’s almost as if he is speaking directly about his quarantine experience. Alone in the world, lost to the will of the world, waking up much less than before—sound familiar to anyone? It’s kind of eerie, really, how this mediation of loneliness resonates so deeply within the context of our jarring reality.
“Nothing is real, nothing is real anymore / No one is here, here is not what it was for / I am alone.” Bell seems to be chanting, the way the melodic line just glides over the rumbling instrumental accompaniment. After all, this is a song meant to be more of a listening experience; the lyrics almost don’t matter, not if you let yourself get lost in his soothing voice and dreamy guitar riffs. There’s basically only two verses in this song, and the last one fades away so seamlessly it’s like he never even started singing in the first place. Bell lets the atmospheric soundscape take you gently by the shoulders, drifting away until it’s silent once again.
Andy Bell is astounding in “I Was Alone,” blending rock with a sort of psychedelic trance in this introspection of loneliness and the meaning of reality. The View From Halfway Down drops on October 9th and is sure to be a triumphant solo debut.
