The Submarines, a partnership between John Dragonetti (Jack Drag) and Blake Hazard, is a lovely pop collective. And much of this loveliness is provided by the extremely feminine Hazard, whose candy sweet vocals never fail to leave a beautifully sugary aftertaste. Sonically, these ten songs go everywhere at once, much like a swarm of busy bees on a mission to hit every last wildflower in an infinite field. This extended range is most noticeable when comparing track two, “The Thorny Thicket,” which brings Magnetic Fields’ droll synth-pop to mind, with track four, “1940,” which rolls to the sort of dread dub reggae that no ‘40s big band fanatic would ever immediately recognize. Dragonetti sings now and again, as on the guitar-driven “The Wake up Song.” but even during the duet “Xavia,” it’s Hazard’s line of, “I don’t wanna be your favorite enemy,” which stands out most. Despite this worrisome tone, however, it is awfully hard to imagine Hazard being on anybody’s shit list for long;she’s just too darn loveable. And if Honeysuckle Weeks has a fault, it’s that it can be a little too precious at times. But musical variety is ultimately what saves Honeysuckle Weeks from being all dessert, no main course. With this tasty delight, The Submarines get the sugar level right most of the time.
--Dan MacIntosh [May 21, 2008]
