She Keeps Bees - Nests
Artist: She Keeps Bees
Album: Nests
Release Date: 8/19/08
There’s a lot of loud music out there. Pumping out of bicycle-size car stereos or ear-ruining earbuds at full volume and, unfortunately, at full compression, a vast majority of newly released music makes even the loudest beat seem unimpressive. Simplicity and soul together is something rare, but it is something I found on She Keeps Bees’s newest album. It is a quality that can fill a room: Jessica Larrabee’s soaring voice braided with catchy, deep guitar riffs and simple drum beats. Rich sound like this is powerful, and perfect for lying on the floor and letting the noise roll around you. I was impressed with their last LP, Minisink Hotel, but “Nests” is an album I am happy to have for those moments when I want to listen to something both loud and clear.
She Keeps Bees – Release
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She Keeps Bees will no doubt be compared to Cat Power in the coming years, but I think Jessica has a swagger and strength in her voice that Chan Marshall doesn’t often match. Coming in just over two minutes, this song is short and sweet and makes me think of what could be if a band like Wire or The Minutemen were soulful rockers instead of punks.
She Keeps Bees – Gimmie
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Despite the at times uncomfortable lyrics (“Gimme gimme gimme . . . gimme to me daddy, work me like my back ain’t got no bone”), this is a song I’ve been listening to a lot since I first heard it last week. I especially like the howling that kicks in right before two minutes.
There are some great other tracks on this album, so learn more by visiting the band site or their myspace and buying the album when it releases next week.
Plus, look how cute they are:
Photo by Adriana Jovanovic
Technorati Tags: She Keeps Bees, Cat Power, Wire, The Minutemen, Soulful
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