“After several listens and a couple weeks deliberation, I laboured to the decision that this album is… Brilliant… [The Bell Beat] pretty much incorporate all the successful dimensions of American pop.”
- Duncky (Faces in the Sand) (Full Review)
“[The Bell Beat] shows that Detroit still has some great music coming from its weary streets. At the same time, [The Bell Beat] has appeal beyond Detroit, and they mix elements that are popular in modern indie rock. I have a feeling we might see more of this band…”
- Kevin Eagan (Blogcritics.org) (Full Review)
“Something you might expect to hear from a bunch of angry kids in a farmhouse garage outside Kansas City. Like punk, but with cows and pitchforks instead of studded leather jackets and mohawks… [All the tracks are] so good, f**k the FCC. Play it anyway… ‘Last Great Massacre’ is easily one of the most honest, forthright tracks I’ve heard in the past year.”
- Zach Musgrave (WSBF) (Article about Last Great Massacre)
“Poppy and a bit more polished than their initial output…”
- Keith N. Dusenberry (Real Detroit Weekly)
“The kind of thing that could be a good backdrop for bar-brawling fun… Dashes of harmonica, twittering keyboards, female backing vocals and a well-defined rhythm section… On the mic, (Randy) Bishop is a pop philosopher, a jaded rock warrior… as he describes the bar band’s struggle for something more.”
- Natalie B. David (Detour) (Full Review)
“‘Flaking Friends[...]‘ A charming bit of acoustic-flavored pop… ‘If You Please[...]‘ Sparse and wonderfully Spoon-esque.”
- Matt Whelihan (Punknews.org)
“It would be very hard for [The Bell Beat] to live up to such a great name, but they do an admirable job on their debut album, The Carrot Chase. The Detroit band [has] some good lyrics and can unquestionably play…”
- Michael Edwards (Exclaim!)
“The 5-piece outfit from Michigan known as [The Bell Beat] have done a fine job of recording, mixing, producing and releasing their debut full-length The Carrot Chase…”
- Matt the Raven (Delusions of Adequacy)