“Build a Boat to the Sun” Sea of Bees
Sacramento area singer-songwriter, Julie Ann Baenziger, who bills herself as Julie Ann Bee, is back with her third album for Sea of Bees. The music touches a number of genres — folk-rock, Americana, pop, and rock — without any glitzy packaging or auto-tuning. The band primarily relies on piano, guitars, bass, and drums — with a dash of synthesizer thrown in — and it seems like Julie Bee plays them all. Other band members include Amber Padgett, John Bee and Geoffrey CK.
— Francis

Recommended: 6, 1, 3, 4, 5, 10. No FCCs.

1. (5:03) Test Yourself – Lively, up-tempo pop-rock. Backbeat rhythm. Electric guitar. High lead vocals get a little “squeezed” at times and la la la’s are a bit sweet, like bees to honey. But it’s catchy. Lead single. ***
2. (4:52) Karma Kard – Fuzzed rock. Plodding beat. High, reverbed vocals.
3. (3:52) Old Bridge – Americana or folk-rock. Wistful vocals. Rhythm like a slowly rolling freight train. Piano. Light fingerpicked guitar. ***
4. (4:10) Ease – Relaxed tempo. Strummed guitars. Piano. Harmonized, yearning vocals. Builds to a fuller arrangement with backing chorus. ***
5. (4:36) Don’t Follow Me – Spare, honest storytelling vocals over folky strummed guitar. “Don’t follow me, I am lost/Trying to find my way home like everyone else.” **
6. (4:34) Little Sea — Really nice, melodic indie pop. Almost Beatles-like in feeling. Harmonized vocals. Brass in lead break. ****
7. (4:02) Dan – Mid-tempo pop-rock stroll. Synth orchestration. Piano.
8. (4:37) Moline – Slightly mysterious, darker folk. Starts after a long count-in. Strummed guitar.
9. (4:13) Dad – Old-timey song construction. Ooh, sha la la’s fit with a 1960s sound. Clearly, Dad preferred that decade.
10. (3:30) Monk – Sadness pervades. Mellow synth and cello maybe (or synth) create sorrowful underpinnings for a song about life’s disappointments. Somber brass in lead break. **