BUZZWORTHY: She Keeps Bees lead singer, Jessica Larrabee, has a voice that sounds like Cat Power. (Think “Nude as the News” off “What Would the Community Think”.) The music is partly reminiscent of White Stripes, The Heartless Bastards and a bit of P.J. Harvey’s grit-laden guitar. Initially, when I first heard ‘She Keeps Bees’ I thought of the plodding and wicked feel of Glen Danzig too — circa “Her Black Wings”. Whatever the case — listen for yourself. She Keeps Bees is a two-piece band from Brooklyn, featuring drummer Andy LaPlant. Some reviewers may hear a lot of repetition in their latest album, “Nests”. Yes, the band may not be breaking into experimental ground, but it is an album that gradually puts a spell on you. I can’t help but feel like I should have been listening to this in the 90s. Not that they’re outdated, but it’s clean of all that experimentation and trendy usage of everything from accordion to manipulation via Moog. I like what they’re doing with this earthy, purpley cool, primal down-tempo blues-based work. It’s not your cookie-cutter indie sound, because Bees pay too close of attention to the likes of ‘backdoor’ lost souls like Howlin’ Wolf. Larrabee controls her aged-whiskey voice so smoothly on a track like “Stutter” — singing the line, “Can you tell … tell me?” Here are some lyrics from the song below, concluding with my favorite line on the track:
“I can take it baby / You can bet on me
Red, red lips / And I got grass on my knees
You’re the smart one baby / You tell me
Can you tell / Tell me, why you want me back?
Don’t think I can’t see / What your twisted tongue is letting me see
We both know we’ve changed, / our hearts / into silent thoughts …
I was sent to heal you.”
She Keeps Bees “Stutter”
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