Wow, if you haven't heard of Persephone's Bees, run, don't walk to your record store. "City of Love" has one of the best rhythm intro's I've heard in years! The entire record is fused with strong power guitar chords over a disco-tech rhythm. And just when you're groovin out to "Nice Day" or "On the Earth", the little indie band from San Francisco with gorgeous lead singer Angelina Moysov from Pyatigorsk, Russia, slow it down with "Walk to the Moon". Play this record at your next party and you're sure to have everybody there asking about the band. It's a winner!
You remember the film Bewitched? The track playing over the intro shots was 'City of Love' from this album. A surprising choice, perhaps, but Persephone's Bees had already garnered one award and one award nomination before they were even signed by Columbia records to produce this album. This isn't so much pop-rock as sometimes pop, sometimes rock, and sometimes that weird Russian-American mix which you may have come across through Regina Spector (Begin To Hope).
This is not perhaps the stand-out album of the decade, but it promises a great deal for the band's future, and it contains a surprisingly diverse set of tracks which are more aggressively indy than you might expect.
If you've not heard this band, listen to an MP3 preview somewhere and make your mind up. But if you've heard one track that you like, my recommendation would be to spring for the album. It's rewarding listening, and grows on you with repeated hearings.
After hearing "City of Love" and "Nice Day" some time ago, I *had* to try this CD. What a great surprise that the rest wasn't all the same! This band definitely has something different to say. Great lyrics & hooks, fun & whimsical ("Climbing"), once 60's retro ("Walk to the Moon"), then rocking ("On the Earth"), then just really musical. Great cover of Status Quo's 'Paper Plane'. Update: Rats, I have already overplayed it.
This album was one I was extremely excited about getting, and it surpassed my expectations. From the first song to the last, there isn't one that I skip over. I would reccomend this album to anyone with an open mind and a love for fun music. I hope Persephone's Bees keeps on making music because this is a fantastic listen.