The Bees
Octopus

THE REVIEW

The bees haven't changed woods, pollinating here and there the evergreen fields of the Isle of Wight. After "Free The Bees" from 2004 and "Sunshine Hit Me" from 2002, "Octopus" returns to tread the path of vintage revivalism with appreciable, and in my view, better results compared to similar attempts by other past-oriented bands.

Their sole purpose is to entertain and have fun. And if the second target is undoubtedly hit (the pleasure in playing is clearly felt), the first will surely not miss its mark on nostalgic and playful souls, trapped in the time machine.

Some might say all this is pure citationism, that such an operation makes no sense in 2007, that it's worth dusting off uncle freak's old vinyl records. All valid, without a doubt, yet while listening to the ten tracks of this album, lightheartedness reigns supreme, and these days that's no small feat, for me, at least. There’s no need to review the many references; it’s enough to mention the Beatles above all (if it's true that Abbey Road studios were used), while in today's context, the names of the Beta Band and Gomez come to mind.

"Who Cares What The Question Is", the track that opens the album, is a high-alcohol saloon country western, "This is For The Better Days", is a funk à la "The Band", best listened to on the road in a '68 Volkswagen, "Left Foot Stepdown", "Listening Man", and "Stand" surprisingly transport us to Kingston, "Ocularist" is a half Indian and half Caribbean folk, and the closing "End Of The Street" ends in the most carefree and jovial way possible a journey back into the sixties tradition, without however falling into plagiarism, but merely aesthetic recovery.