Belong’s 2006 debut album, October Language, was like a lightening bolt from the sky.
It was a welcomed commodity, breaking the mould of the My Bloody Valentine soundalikes that were littered across the alternative music scene landscape at the time. While many tried to tar Belong with the same brush, in truth, the New Orleans duo of Turk Dietrich and Michael Jones had more of an affinity with the likes of noise agitators Growing and ambient drone touchstones such as Tim Hecker and the Kranky alumni. Acts who had ultimately had broken through to new audiences during the most exciting time in the new music sphere since the turn of the century.
Those who got it got it, and while Belong’s devotees expected more of the same in the years that followed, Dietrich and Jones took a major hairpin turn with their follow-up, Common Era, exploring deep into the black caves of cold wave. As the years go by, Common Era has become a crucial reference point for many cold wave post-punk acts plying their trade in the underground. A cosmic blur, a bit like the band themselves who seemingly disappeared after its release, as elusive as the music they produce.
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In one of those perplexing moments that simply can’t be explained, having reacquainted with both albums just weeks before the news of Belong’s return was confirmed, it was yet another of those lightning bolts. At times, Realistic IX feels like getting hit by one. An album that reminds you of the past, whilst firmly being ensconced in the present.
While people will be quick to point out the alleged derivative nature of Realistic IX, Belong’s approach has always been different to their peers, with Dietrich and Jones more aligned to early Stars of the Lid as opposed to, say, Slowdive.
Belong - Realistic IXIt doesn’t stop them having fun on Realistic IX, however, fucking with their audience through sonics the same way Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie did with song titles. Realistic I’m Still Awaiting and Souvenir go as close to suggesting Belong’s icy glare towards shoegaze has thawed, for these moments brim with Loveless homage as grainy guitars barrel through the ocean swell.
Difficult Boy and Image of Love aren’t exactly cut adrift from the above-noted tracks, either, as vocals are obfuscated by tremolo and pink noise that passes off with a mirage-like effect. Meanwhile, Crucial Years sees the band leaning back into the aesthetics that made October Language the timeless affair it is. With rolling washes of sound, it takes the listener through a journey of the ecstasy that escapism offers.
A total contrast to Bleach, which sees Belong tackling the other end of the spectrum. With violent, harsh bursts of noise that sounds like Marty Rev and Alan Vega in search of a frequency through a hell storm, while they come close to it with penultimate track, Jealousy, it’s AM/PM where they find it. Zeroing in on the core principles of drone, on AM/PM Belong add the kind of inflections of ambient tech-house that should’ve been a part of a Kompakt compilation. A total left field move from a band that has made a habit out of producing quite a few.
In many ways, it could be perceived as pure tongue-in-cheek that Belong have explored shoegaze as openly as they have on Realistic IX. Once again by using the foundation of drone, Dietrich and Jones branch off and deliver the kind of soundscapes that scratch the itch. The difference here is that they do it with very little care for anyone else.
It’s these moments that can sometimes produce sparkling results, and alongside fellow New Orleans experimentalist, Kranky label mate and perennial dispenser of gold dust, MJ Guider, Belong are one of the few acts having fun within the paradigm of guitar-based experimentalism. Realistic IX marks a welcomed return from a band so many thought they’d never hear from again.
Realistic IX is out now via Kranky. Purchase from Bandcamp.
