 |
| |
|
| |
Album Review
by SashaS
30-6-2004
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| The Bees: as free as the Byrds on a wire |
|
The Bees: 'Free The Bees'
(Virgin)
The Bees: just like sonic honey...
Let’s get reviewing: skin up another one of the superweeds in a slim-regulation cut, fire it up, inhale in a presidential manner while The Bees’ album ‘Free The Bees’ plays on and note the time being realigned. The images evoked are those of England in some better times, the feel good one, when the footie squad could win a trophy… Yep, the swinging epoch when “Brits never had it so good.”
The Bees, alike The Coral, look back with fondness to the period when the songs were shorter, poppier and funnier for a generation of youth being liberated from the social restrictions/launching sex revolution and in the process starting to erode the centuries old class system. But, this ain’t simply rehashing but reshaping, re-evaluating and re-sounding.
‘The Bees’ is as modern as English footie-excuses except this lot - score. Big! Champion-style! Having already netted success with the debut album ‘Sunshine Hit Me’, The Bees’ return is a disc that outstrips its predecessor on every level. ‘Free The Bees’ contains twelve classic pop moments that appear to have been found in some dusty attic but managed to retain freshness, vivacity and excitement…
From the gorgeous Beta Band-esque ‘Wash In The Rain’, 70s rock fused ‘Horsemen’ and the warped funk of ‘Chicken Payback’ through to the jazzy-licious ‘I Love You’ and jaunty ‘One Glass of Wate’‘; ‘Free The Bees’ delivers quality with each track. Psychedelic-pop that is honourably influenced by The Kinks, The Beatles and The Byrds, it shines so much you need sunscreen!
A sublime release from one of Britain’s finest young bands and proof that you don’t have to come from the coolest background [isn’t Isle of Wight cool? - make-up Ed] to make delightfully eccentric beat and psychedelic eras music for the future gens.
Highlights: ‘The Russian’, ‘I Love You’ , ’One Glass of Water’
8/10
SashaS
30-6-2004
The Bees’ album ‘The Bees’ is released 28 June 2004 by Virgin
|
|
|
