Spirit Of The Beehive
Pleasure Suck
Tiny Engines [2017]
Who: Philadelphia-based Spirit of the Beehive deliver a superb album packed with lo-fi psychedelic charm.
Sound: Pleasure Suck is a giant leap forward for the band. Their earlier LP and EP were good, but this album emits a warm druggy vibe that is part slacker rock, lo-fi DIY and psychedelic sensation all rolled into one.
TFN Final Take: Thank goodness for those middle of the year “Best of So Far” lists. I was totally in the dark about the new Spirit of the Beehive. If I had not heard Pleasure Suck, I would have missed one of 2017’s better LPs. Therefore, I apologize for the late review, Pleasure Suck came out in March, but I just had to talk about this record.
Things start weird with opening track, “Pleasure Suck I” and they pretty much stay that way throughout the course of the LP. Much of Pleasure Suck is set to a mellow pace that revels in trippy fuzz and playful keyboard noises. “Ricky (Caught Me Tryin’)”, “Pianos, Heavy Instrument”, “Future Looks Bright (It’s Blinding)”, “Cops Come Looking” and “Pleasure Suck II” wash over my brain with their measured rhythms and slacker/folk rock attitude. These charming tracks remind me of Believo!-era Enon mixed with Bamnan and Slivercork-era Midlake.
Not everything on Pleasure Suck is mellow. The Spirit of the Beehive employ some more mid-tempo moments mixed with flashes of Sonic Youth-like noise and post-punk buzz on tracks “Time to Scratch Them All,” “Big Brain,” “ Becomes the Truth,” and the ultra-catchy “Twenty First Road Trip”.
If you like Midlake, Enon, Pavement’s brand of slack, and some Sonic Youth blasts of noise, go pick up Pleasure Suck. I am so glad I did.
Spirit Of The Beehive Website
Spirit Of The Beehive Facebook
Tiny Engines
– Reviewed by Daniel Taylor
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