There are songs that feel like a warm hand on your shoulder. Bells of Silver by Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends is one of those. It is soft, deliberate and quite easy to sit with. As if it draws you back to it on lazy nights, perhaps when you just want a feeling of honesty and human nature to a human for a while.
The arrangement is simple and that’s why it works. The gentle guitar parts and gentle textures blend nicely together without overpowering. There is no room for competition. There is plenty of air to spare. At the core of this, the rhythm is relaxed and consistent, and doesn’t try too hard to work the song together. There’s a lot of care that went into the finer details here.
The voices seem real, but very quiet. Don’t over-do it, or make everything seem like a big deal. The delivery is calm and understated and it just fits the vibe of the song. It doesn’t shout for your attention, it’s seductive without being aggressive in any way, and I believe that’s what makes it work so well emotionally.
The song’s central theme is the child, the childhood and the gradual settling of people you love. That’s evident, without ever descending into sentimentality or emotion. It remains individual yet not isolating and sensitive but not weak or fragile.
Backing vocals here are inspired by The Beach Boys and add an extra warmth to the song. Together with the Hammond organ and the dynamic drum beats, they lend the music a natural and rich sound. Bells of Silver comes across as simple, straightforward, and quietly moving and is one that sticks with you after the reading.
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