PARLOUR BELLS

HEART BEATINGS
GENRE | JAZZY
VERDICT | DEBUT DELIGHT
LABEL | SELF-RELEASED
RELEASE | 11.12.10
PARLOURBELLS.COM

At the first listen of “Pet Names,” I felt as though Hugh Grant was standing on a barstool in front of me with his arms outstretched, attempting to win over my heart in a hokey pub. But after enough time to clear my head from the chick-flick daydream (daymare?), I came to the realization that too much indie is bad for the ears.

So while I probably wouldn’t play Parlour Bells at an Allston house party, I’m glad I gave them a second shot. For after the grimacing subsided, Glenn DiBenedetto’s smoky vocals seduced me. The croons on “The Gargoyle” are low and beckoning, romantic yet sinister. Lounge-like melodies carry “Heavy Dream,” about a dream so palpable, so conceivable that it left you disoriented in the morning. The five-song debut is a perfect peak of the serenades that have made Parlour Bells one of Boston’s best-kept secrets.

PARLOUR BELLS AT THE ROSEBUD SAT 1.15.11.