Sandra Bell

Rip It Up, Issue 215, 1 July 1995, Page 5

Sandra Bell

Dunedin singer/songwriter Sandra Bell releases her second solo album this month, on local label IMD. Although Bell has been recording under several guises, and performing live since the very early 80s, she’s the first to admit her name is never likely to be seen in lights. “I accept that my music has got a following that is quite small, and it will always be appreciated by a small group of people. But that’s not to say that I wouldn't like more people to hear it, because I would like that, but I don't have a recipe for writing songs that are going to be popular. I just write what I write, and I can't plan it to be in a particular way.” Net, the follow-up to her 1991 Xpressway album Dreams Of Falling, is an equally raucous

and reserved affair — veering between harsh, warped rock, and enigmatic, brooding torch songs. Reflecting her first explorations into writing as a poet, many songs on Net place emphasis on the lyrics, and often, when they are shrouded in a wash of dark, heavy guitars, she can give the impression of being overwhelmingly down in the dumps. “I see them more as sad or serious than depressing. I’m an old sop, and I like sad songs and sad movies. But I don’t want to make other people feel depressed, so that’s why there's a whole wide range of emotions on the album. Music is one of the few places in our culture where you can express your emotions, and I think people do use music for that reason — both the people who make it and the people who listen to it.”