The Belltower

The Belltower were something of an anomaly in the early '90s, a shoegaze band from the U.S. But calling them a shoegaze band would be somewhat limiting, given the strength of vocalist Britta Philllips' voice. Most shoegaze bands buried their vocals in washes of guitar fuzz; this is where the Belltower differed, existing as more of a proper pop band. Co-founding members Phillips (also known as the voice of Jem on the '80s cartoon of the same name) and Jody Porter moved the band from New York City to London in 1990 and began issuing their material on the independent Ultimate label. The Terry Bickers (House of Love)-produced Exploration Day single was hailed as NME's single of the week upon release, paving the way for a couple more anticipated singles (In Hollow and Flight) and the full-length Popdropper, released on Ultimate in the U.K. and East/West in the U.S. Following some personnel shakeups, the Belltower headed back to New York. After a stint with future Ivy and Fountains of Wayne member Adam Schlesinger on bass, the band moved to South Carolina and released a 1994 single on Scratchie, Underwatertown. By 1996, the Belltower had dissolved. Porter went on to help out with Schlesinger in Fountains of Wayne and formed Astrojet, while Phillips' later involvements included Ultrababyfat and Luna, in addition to a stretch playing with Ben Lee. ~ Andy Kellman