Spirit of the Beehive - Entertainment, Death

 

New album from Spirit of the Beehive on new label, Saddle Creek, out April 9th this is Entertainment, Death.

The shape shifting Philadelphia trio return with a new work for a new label but remaining true to their spirit of noise rock immersion with their work being less music but pop music just not as you know it.

Following on from the much praised 2018 release hypnic jerks, SotB modus operandi of creating a smorgasbord of influences from music, film and television. At times jolting and sudden but never less than satisfying, the juxtaposition of manic energy with deliberate production marks the now three-piece as a collective of unique vision and integrity. 

The alteration in the titling of the songs marks out a difference of intent - gone are the lower case titles of the 2018 release to the full bold upper case capitalisation of their work; are the band being more defiant or triumphant about their work in this instance.

While the compositions may not be everyone's cup of tea, there is nevertheless an accessibility to the tunes be it the vocal work of both guitarist Zack Schwartz and bassist Rivka Ravede, whose vocals tie in nicely with the discord of the music. This is never more evident than on 'THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN'T DO' where the lightness of Ravede's delivery coupled with Schwartz's howl showcases the collision between the sublime and the loud.

Even moments of poppiness such as 'THE SERVER IS IMMERSED' is a break from the monotony of the everyday where the work sways along until all three members sing in unison to break the listener from their hypnotic spell. The clash of the everyday with the artisan is never far away with this group.

Along with new band member, Corey Wichlin, the band's intentions of abstraction with an abundance of input from all media mark it out as a work of high recognition through keeping the listener on their toes seemingly. 

While the personnel has changed, the album remains a continuation of a band's ethos coupling electronic instrumentation, along with stream-of-consciousness lyrics to make an aural experience that is both gratifying and challenging in this day and age of the unknown future.

ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH is out on Friday 9th April from Saddle Creek

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Spirit of the Beehive 'hypnic jerks'

The Spirit of the Beehive release their third album, second with Tiny Engines label, and it is an album that is part dream and part consciousness - a piece of work that is at times blissful but angry.

Starting with odd audio samples, which drop in and out throughout the album, it gives the impression of an album that is very much of the now and the moment; but while the album lilts along with the electronica influence and dreamy soundscapes, the audio samples jolts you back to earth away from the synthesizers.

There are moments in this album that remind me of Kevin Shield's work with My Bloody Valentine and the Lost in Translation soundtrack which featured Shields, Air and Phoenix; that film felt very much as a dream for a fish out of water; this album is full of harmony and swooning.

Something came to mind when listening was that the electronica clashing with the guitars creating these moments of reverb made me think that this would be an album made by At the Drive-in if they had any semblance of romanticism or sentimentality.

There are moments though of beauty coupled with grim lyrics giving the impression of a fantasy dream pop, the subtext may be grim but on the exterior the album is light - such as 'd.o.u.b.l.e.u.r.o.n.g.' in contrast to the lighter 'fell asleep with a vision'; this juxtaposition much like Jim James' album Uniform Distortion this year the height of euphoria undercut by some sombre.

This is one of those albums that will be benefited by numerous listens to create a sonic soundscape which is unlikely anything you will likely hear this year.

As frontman of the quintet,  Zack Schwartz puts it, '(the album is) the state between wakefulness and sleep', and the band Spirit of the Beehive is awake loud and clear.

Another brilliant release from Tiny Engines, who I thank for the review opportunity and audio link.

hypnic jerks is released from Tiny Engines on 14th September