A hard test for any album is the Friday evening drive. A record that is picked for the drive home from work, prepping for the weekend full of music and alcohol is certainly a good one. Before I thought I had formed an opinion on the new Bees (AKA the Band of Bees) disc, Octopus, it was blaring through my car stereo for the Friday drive.
“Well”, I thought, “Now I know this will be a positive review.”
As if the 60’s were still among us, this album is chock full of melodies, harmonies and instrumentation of a time fueled by social upheaval, war and hopes of peace.
Sounds relevant to me.
As the parallels of the two decades unfold, Octopus rejects some and swims away. This album is not simply a 60’s throw back. Its sound is surprisingly modern-fusing rock, reggae, country, and jazz with bouncing trip-hop beats, strong vocals and sleek horns. The new record serves as a reminder of why the band was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2002 for Sunshine Hit Me (recorded in singer Paul Butler’s parent’s home garden).
“Who Cares What the Questions Is?” opens the album like a locomotive. It rolls down the track letting you follow a confused love affair to an indefinite place. It moves on, with the slide guitar as the sounding horn and the drums pounding as the train advances.
The next three tracks flow perfectly, sucking you in as they progress. “Love in the Harbour”’s chilling guitar and harmonies recall a classic CSNY ditty. “Left Foot Stepdown”, possibly the albums best track, somehow brings Portishead into the world of the Bees. “Got to Let Go” sings of leaving love in order to salvage it-with a triumphant trumpet sounding out in optimism. The entire album hums on wonderfully. But it is “Listening Man”’s bluesy balladry that will have you singing along at the top of your lungs, thanking the Bees for such a wonderful melody and thanking the “Gods of the Workweek” for Friday evening.
The Bees, mislabeled as indie rock, simply supply “driving tunes” for the modern hippie.
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