A Band of Bees -- known simply as The Bees in their native UK -- have been A-1 in my book since their triumphant, summery cover of the Os Mutantes classic "A Minha Menina" fuzzed out of nowhere on their garden shed-recorded debut, Sunshine Hit Me. They've been churning out jangly, shambolic, 60's-tinged pop ever since; their latest, Octopus, is no exception. Recorded in their own budget Abbey Road, a home-made studio on the Isle of Wight, Octopus sounds during its best moments suspiciously like the dubby homegrown recordings of that other isolated, musically-inclined island. It's all there: the Hammond organs, occasional chintzy sound effects, the stoner cadence and misty-eyed harmonic balladry, particularly during an early stretch of lolling, pastoral gems: the Grateful Dead-infused "Love in the Harbour" and the lovely, almost completely transparent "Listening Man," a track that is almost arresting in its simplicity. The rest of the record hops gingerly around genres, noodles a little on guitar, and pauses occasionally to knock out some some relatively annoying, Cockney-spirited funk jams. On the whole, however, Octopus is an unpretentious, ingenious album, totally comfortable in its own lackadaisical skin and unfettered by the pace of the mainland.
Claire Evans
