If you especially enjoy melodic rock, the Easy Bee’s self-titled album was made with you in mind. These Bees are a trio that met in 2004 at New England College and formed a band in Henniker, NH. This album is an easygoing 12-song release.
Interestingly, one titled “I’ve Got Soul” doesn’t come off especially soulful. Sure, these guys harmonize together soulfully. Yet one would be hesitant to file this song under the soul music genre. Another, called “John And David,” speaks of how a John and a David wrote a song. It’s not likely these guys, though, as this trio includes a Ford, a Jim, and a Jake. Perhaps these are two songwriters these players especially appreciate. If so, though, without last names, it’s wide open to guessing and speculation.
Much of the time, these musicians sing over acoustic guitar. However, “Mind Is Rolling” is much gutsier, featuring an out-front electric guitar riff, along with rocking bass and drums. Even here, though, the vocal harmonies are a huge part of the song’s charm. The style that comes to mind again and again while listening to Easy Bees is power pop. Even songs that feature electric guitar sound pop-ish. Nothing gets in the way of a song’s melody during this release. Melody is central to everything. It’s not all sweetness and light, either, exemplified by “Scars.” On it, everyone’s pain is highlighted. Nobody is normal, the lyric tells us, and we all have scars. We all have pain.
Keyboard is not heard as often as guitar but steps out into the spotlight during the intro to “Our Town.” It tells the story of one particular town. Perhaps it’s the town pictured on the album’s animated cover picture. You have to love any town with a record store, which is prominently featured in this artwork. The scenes in this picture a cute and childlike, a little like the old Schoolhouse Rock Saturday morning features.
The Bees get their jangle on nicely during “Golden Hour Radio,” which brings to mind classic ‘60s pop-rock. It also has a bit of Beatles vibe running through it, too. If this is a real radio station, it sounds like the perfect one for classic rock fans. In addition to the song’s guitar jangle, the guys sing especially sweetly on it. One would do well hearing this one coming out of their radio speaker.
Only one of these songs makes it past the four-minute mark. This means brevity is important to these three performers. They write songs that make their point without belaboring them. They do it the way radio used to do it. Why go on for an indulgent seven minutes when you can get it all out there in three?
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After listening to this album, one really wants to have a look at the group members’ record collections. One imagines these are all the especially good ones. There’s likely no hard rock or gangsta rap. Instead, one would expect to find plenty of British Invasion rock and a healthy dose of the Beach Boys, as well. In other words, this is good stuff, inspired by all the good stuff.
-Dan MacIntosh
