The Bella Fayes
The Truth in a Beautiful Lie

(Secret Decoder)

First Appeared at The Music Box, July 2003, Volume 10, #7

Written by T.J. Simon

Notify the Federal Trade Commission for I have been duped, defrauded, and deceived. My stack of promo CDs was becoming a work-safety hazard, so I recently went through them hoping to find a promising disc for an article. That’s how I discovered a band called The Bella Fayes. You see, I’m a sucker for girl groups, and the front and back artwork of the CD have photos of two really pretty women — a blonde and a brunette. Being no stranger to my own basal instincts, I brought the disc with me on a plane trip figuring that if the band is awful, I could pass the time over Ohio staring at the pictures of the girls. You can imagine how surprised I was to discover the truth behind this beautiful lie: The Bella Fayes is a band consisting of four very unfeminine dudes from Portland, Oregon.

My victimization is mitigated by the fact that The Truth in a Beautiful Lie is a great disc full of masterful songwriting and shimmering power pop. The Bella Fayes has made a commitment to bright lyrics and electric guitar hooks, and the band draws from all the right influences including The Bad Examples on Feel Like I Wanna Feel, Ted Leo on New Shame, and Elvis Costello on Channeling. Lead singer Lael Alderman has a voice that sounds like a cross between Chris Robinson and Ryan Adams and a vocal range that hits high registers when appropriate. The Girl Most Likely To is a classic Brit-pop number with a marching drumbeat, and In The Transistor’s Glow sounds like a lost Whiskeytown track. The members of The Bella Fayes may not look like my dream girls, but their disc hasn’t strayed far from my walkman either.

Ratings

1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2003 The Music Box