The Bell Mechanical describes the drone in question as a work in progress, which begs the question as to how it might be improved. Drones in general have a holistic if not entirely natural aura to them. The distinction is that they often sound self-contained, almost automated, more field recording than composition, and yet they also generally seem inherently technological — the sound of machines, not of the natural world. “The Bethel Construction Company,” by the Bell Mechanical, is such a drone: the hum of a low level industrial activity, albeit with choice textural elements. Given that it is, apparently, unfinished, one wonders what alterations might be implemented: more or less variety of momentary glitches, a change in key or root tone, more of a sense of development? In any case, it is quite enjoyable as it currently stands. Or perhaps when the musician says it’s a drone from a series he’s been working on, as he does in the brief accompanying note, it is the series he’s working on, not the drone itself. Perhaps this one is done, and a new one is in the works.
Track originally posted for free download at soundcloud.com/thebellmechanical. More from the Bell Mechanical (aka Salem, Massachusetts–based M.J. LeBlanc) at thebellmechanical.com.
