Octopus

About

The U.K. group the Bees, known in the U.S. as A Band of Bees for legal reasons, built their own recording studio, the Steam Rooms, to accommodate their impulsive and eclectic approach that updates an ornate psychedelic fascination with modern flourishes. Initially conceived as a duo, multi-instrumentalists Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher have expanded to a full sextet. The added members enable things to get plenty loose and the extra punch of festive horns and trilling organs give the group a carnivalesque atmosphere that transcends psychedelia. This group is more in search of a groove — though their lyrics reflect a ‘love will save us all’ sunstroke straight from the Summer of Love. There’s a surprising early-70s funk supporting “Got to Let Go” and a touch of reggae lurking in “Left Foot Stepdown.” “Love in the Harbour” tilts towards alt.country with harmonies and harmonica in tow. The album, however, is bookended by two tracks — “Who Cares What the Question Is?” and “End of the Street” — that sound as if they could’ve been accidentally left off the Rolling Stones’ <i>Their Satanic Majesties Request</i>.

via Apple Music