Review: She Keeps Bees - Eight Houses
By Kenyetta Whitfield, Contributor
[Future Gods; 2014]
Rating: 7.5/10
Key Tracks: “Owls,” “Breezy,” “Is What It Is”
She Keeps Bees’ Jessica Larrabee and Andy LaPlant may not be household names, but after the release of its debut album Minisink Hotel, the duo’s bluesy retro, rock sound was definitely something to remember.
The Brooklyn-based band formed in 2006 and has since produced three albums, each one fleshing out its sound and showing off Larrabee’s soulful, blues inspired vocals.
On its fourth album, Eight Houses, the duo takes a turn in a different direction, moving away from the heavy guitar and drums to hone in on a softer side.
Eight Houses is a slow-burning album meant for a dive bar in an unusually quiet yet individual town. The album is dark at times, with an extremely mellow feel and a prominent soul undertone gracing the lyrics as well as Larrabee’s vocals.
“Feather Lighter” starts the album off on the right foot. Larrabee’s full voice commands the track as the beat picks up pace. Everything works to compliment the front woman’s blues-inspired vocals.
In “Breezy,” Larrabee’s voice is at its deepest and most soulful. She sings with an unrelenting power, one strong enough to fill the pit of your soul. The strength of her vocals is the same as Florence Welch, of Florence and the Machine.
However, the song “Owl” displays the album beginning to showcase its darker material. The track features Sharon Van Etten and is the soft indie song one could imagine playing in a low lit bar or coffee shop.
“Raven” is the album’s heaviest track; it may be the hardest-hitting moment in She Keeps Bees’ discography. Larrabee’s voices waivers and trembles over the album’s most intense guitar riffs. It exemplifies a classic rock sound blended with soul.
The album is wrapped up with the warm, hopeful and gospel-style track “Is What It Is.” It features Sharon Van Etten for the second time. Both of the smoky female voices seduce the listener as they sing, “You are worthy / I am worthy/ As well as / Be not completely consumed / Do not surrender.”
Eight Houses is fairly short in length, but the 35-minute album presents She Keeps Bees’ experimentation with deeper folk connections and soulful, bluesy accents. The collection features an overall dreamy, meaningful emotion with gritty blues moments and clear folk aspirations.
