She Keeps Bees - Nests (From Salisbury Journal)

She Keeps Bees - Nests

11:25am Wednesday 8th July 2009

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Artist - She Keeps Bees
Album - Nests
Label - Names

A wholly unexpected second album from recently signed Brooklyn band, She Keeps Bees.

With a cast iron edge to the guitar, and a voice like Cat Power's Chan Marshall sung by Janis Joplin and a Patti Smith attitude, Jessica Larrabee leads this two piece wonderfully.

The songs come across like thicker, edgier, bluesier White Stripes songs - deliciously sexy - or the kind of music Kristin Hersh thinks she's making: confessional, naked and edgy.

When Jennifer Trynin released her amazing debut album back in the 90s, it sounded just like this - all stunning power, control and sparse instrumentation.

The thickness of the guitar sound and the absence of unnecessary instrumentation suit the confessional, aggressive delivery and the uncomfortably direct lyrics perfectly.

It is hard to avoid the Cat Power comparisons, but Nests stands those comparisons well by coming out on top.

Rating 9/10
Mike Rea

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