We’re still somewhat amazed and befuddled by the lack of coverage The Bees (known as A Band of Bees here in the U.S. due to another U.S. band already having the Bees name however we like to think globally here at MOB so we’ll stick with the Bees) most recent album, Octopus, has received in the mainstream music media here in the States. Song for song the album is one of the best albums released this year and much like their first two releases, it’s a perfect soundtrack for the summer. The Bees originally started as just a duo of Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher, having recorded their first album, Sunshine Hit Me, in a home studio in a shed on the Isle of Wright, where both of the original Bees call home. After the success of Sunshine Hit Me in their native U.K., the duo became a sextet of multi-instrumentalists who seem to have many roots and influences. The variety of influences and sounds of the Bees is part of what makes them so appealing, as well as hard to pin down. If you were to put reggae, soul, funk, psychedelic 60’s, and Brazilian Tropicalia, with a dash of fun in a blender and mixed it up while on the seashore of the Isle of Wright, the end result would be the Bees music.

The following quote by Paul Butler gives you a little better frame of what the Bees are trying to do with their records, “Anything that makes you move and dance, as well as being a really good song, that’s the most potent form of music.” The first song and single off Octopus, “Who Cares What the Question Is?” is a great example of their pop sensibilities as well as their ability to take their influences and improve upon them, which keeps them from being pigeonholed simply as a “retro band.” You could probably play this song to someone who has never heard of the Bees and get them to believe the track is a long lost Beatles or Kinks ditty. Another strong track is “Listening Man” which sounds like it could have been recorded during Motown’s heyday and produced by Phil Spector because of the many layers within the song. This album also has a good mix of funk and soul with tracks like “This is For the Better Days” and “Got to Let Go.” After hearing the 30 second opening of “Got to Let Go,” a friend mistook it for the Allman Brothers “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” which after he mentioned it, there are clear similarities, especially if you switched the Bees horns for the Allman’s dueling guitars. The album ends with the aptly titled “The End of Street” which is as playful and fun as “Chicken Payback” from their previous record, Free the Bees. So in short if you haven’t heard this album or either of the Bees first two records, do yourself a favor and pick up their disc(s), upload them to you MP3 player of choice, take said MP3 player to the nearest beach or pool along with a six pack of your favorite beer, plug in your headphones, hit play on Octopus and then just relax, letting the music and sunshine hit you.

The Bees have yet to tour the U.S. in support for any of their albums so while you anxiously await the invasion of the Bees, I highly recommend checking out the two entertaining videos for “Listening Man” and “Who Cares What the Question Is? on their Myspace page and definitely check out their video for “Chicken Payback.”

Myspace: The Bees