“Lambs to slaughter made to order, tears have fallen, we haven’t forgotten you.”
With this catchy refrain, you might think of the new single by Belle, an emerging folk synth-pop artist, is an animal rights song. Instead Belle’s soothing voice brings awareness to one of the biggest atrocities of this century: live organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in China.
The “lambs” are human beings, treated so inhumanely it’s hard to come to terms with. The second line in the song goes:
“Breath in their lungs and their bodies still warm, their organs are stolen and sold to the world.”
Belle’s single, “Lambs to Slaughter” is co-written by Sterling Campbell, the former drummer for David Bowie and now for the B52s, and guest emcee, Rise–Ascend (aka Ankh Amen Ra) who drives the point further in the middle of the song.
It will be released on July 23 (pre-sale: July 16) just in time for the 14th anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice the Chinese regime has mostly targeted for organ harvesting, along with Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Christians in China, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center.
It’s a personal issue for Belle, who practices Falun Gong herself. She was arrested in China on Tiananmen Square in 2001 simply for holding up a banner that read, “Truth, Compassion, Tolerance.” Amnesty International named her Woman of Conscience for her human rights appeal.
Belle’s singing reveals fragility, resolve and a call to action singing toward the end of the song: “Everybody stand up.”
Her touching vocals and raw honesty is reminiscent of artists like Alanis Morissette, Joan Baez, and Joni Mitchell. “Lambs to Slaughter” is the first release from Bell’s second album, “Speck of Dust” (Igenious Records) to be released on Sept. 24.
Bell and her band (Nemo Rebic, guitar, and Kay Rubacek, synth) are performing at New York festivals and venues throughout the summer. They will perform at Bethel Woods on Sept. 29. Check everythingbelle.com for more dates.
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