Elle Belle, Everyone Knows (But They Won’t Tell You) Review
Elle Belle is the alter-ego of award-winning composer/songwriter Christopher Pappas. His debut album WAKO GUMBO, released in 2016, hit the scene with a hefty 20 song double LP. Pappas’ sophomore album, No Signal, presented songs with psychedelic sounds and electronica. Pappas grew up in rural New Hampshire, where he started the band The Everyday Visuals. After high school, Pappas relocated to Boston, where his gift for vocal harmonies and left-of-center songwriting gained fellow musicians and fans respect. He moved to Los Angeles in 2010, where he met Pierre de Reeder, bassist for the venerable L.A. band Rilo Kiley. Pappas released a solo record under the name Miracle Parade on Pierre’s newly founded label, Little Record Company. While recording the second record, he suffered a creative breakdown, leading him to abandon the record and create Elle Belle. Under the new creative guise of Elle Belle, Pappas has released a flood gate of creativity, which swirls together psych-rock, prog, and electronic. Elle Belle has written music for NASA, composing the Juno and Rosetta mission official docu-series’ soundtracks. He composed an award-winning musical (“Pope! An Epic Musical”). He is also a prolific writer, churning out 2 T.V. pilots and a new full-length horror feature currently in pre-production. His dense and eclectic catalog is why many consider Pappas as one of America’s most prolific and captivating under-the-radar artists. Elle Belle is now releasing the second single from his upcoming album Post Everything. The single is called “Everyone Knows (But They Won’t Tell You).”
Bottom Line: “Everyone Knows (But They Won’t Tell You)” was recorded and mixed at 64 Sound by Pierre de Reeder. The sounds are Rob Humphreys on drums, Philip Krohnengold on guitar, Pierre de Reeder on bass, and Pappas on guitar and vocals as well as being the writer. Pappas’ vocals take us through the form with a catchy indie-rock feel and palm-muted guitars chugging out a steady pulse. The chorus has multiple layers of vocal harmonies, and the melody is undoubtedly an earworm. There is a little 80’s pop-rock in “Everyone Knows (But They Won’t Tell You),” with the two guitars playing a vital part in that sound. The vocals are solid throughout, and all the sounds are balanced and well-recorded. Elle Belle says, “Post Everything is about reckonings. The emotional fatigue of the last few years had filled my heart with a profound misanthropic nihilism. Post Everything is a journey through this nihilistic wasteland, and that if we dig deep enough, we can still find droplets of hope.” Elle Belle is making an intense hype for his upcoming album PostEverything, but until its November 13th release date, we will have to enjoy “Everyone Knows (But They Won’t Tell You).” That’s the short of it!Connect with Elle Belle: Website |
Everyone Knows (But They Won't Tell You)
Everyone Knows (But They Won't Tell You) (single)
Release Date: October 16, 2020
Little Record Company
9.0