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THE BEES – ‘Horsemen’ (iTunes, 99 cents)
This young British band generated a good amount of buzz with their 2003 debut, Sunshine Hit Me, and if you’re like me, that should be enough for you to justify ignoring them completely. British? Buzz? No thank you. Last time I fell for that, I wound up with a record by that band the Coral, and I’m considerably less cool because of it.
Sometimes the buzz is warranted, though, so we have to suck it up and play along. The Bees’ debut was excellent — a delicate yet ballsy romp through all sorts of retro rock styles, from swirling psychedelica to heartfelt soul. The recording was done in a shed, so the fidelity was on the low side, and the songs proudly took center stage.
For their second outing, Free the Bees, the band decided they needed a more professional sound quality, and made the wise decision to set up shop at Abbey Road Studios. The result is a record that maintains just the right amount of lo-fi feel, yet allows every instrument to be heard with ease. The songs aren’t quite as trippy this time around, as there’s a pronounced and surprising similarity to a lot of the Band’s early 70s work. And that, of course, is something I don’t get to write nearly as often as I’d like to.
MISSY ELLIOTT (with Ciara and Fat Man Scoop)
‘Lose Control’ (iTunes, 99 cents)
Well, what do you know? Missy Elliott’s back, proving once again that the majority of the rappers currently making ridiculous amounts of money aren’t worth even the tiniest diamond in their big, stupid watches. Missy’s rhymes are trance-inducing, repeating the same patterns over and over again for entire verses to surprisingly enjoyable effect — and Ciara’s vocal contributions help make the track sufficiently danceable. I don’t know exactly what this Fat Man Scoop character is supposed to be adding, but it doesn’t even matter.
This young British band generated a good amount of buzz with their 2003 debut, Sunshine Hit Me, and if you’re like me, that should be enough for you to justify ignoring them completely. British? Buzz? No thank you. Last time I fell for that, I wound up with a record by that band the Coral, and I’m considerably less cool because of it.
Sometimes the buzz is warranted, though, so we have to suck it up and play along. The Bees’ debut was excellent — a delicate yet ballsy romp through all sorts of retro rock styles, from swirling psychedelica to heartfelt soul. The recording was done in a shed, so the fidelity was on the low side, and the songs proudly took center stage.
For their second outing, Free the Bees, the band decided they needed a more professional sound quality, and made the wise decision to set up shop at Abbey Road Studios. The result is a record that maintains just the right amount of lo-fi feel, yet allows every instrument to be heard with ease. The songs aren’t quite as trippy this time around, as there’s a pronounced and surprising similarity to a lot of the Band’s early 70s work. And that, of course, is something I don’t get to write nearly as often as I’d like to.
MISSY ELLIOTT (with Ciara and Fat Man Scoop)
‘Lose Control’ (iTunes, 99 cents)
Well, what do you know? Missy Elliott’s back, proving once again that the majority of the rappers currently making ridiculous amounts of money aren’t worth even the tiniest diamond in their big, stupid watches. Missy’s rhymes are trance-inducing, repeating the same patterns over and over again for entire verses to surprisingly enjoyable effect — and Ciara’s vocal contributions help make the track sufficiently danceable. I don’t know exactly what this Fat Man Scoop character is supposed to be adding, but it doesn’t even matter.
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