Album / Artist: Kinship / She Keeps Bees
Label: Ba Da Bing Records

Reviewed: 9/24/2019
DJ Stace

General Comments / Release Notes
She Keeps Bees deliver a follow up to the powerful Eight Houses, five years in the making. Larabee’s Appalachian gospel vocal stylings are still laced with the quiet intensity and spare arrangements that demand attention. Less about the raw and powerful juxtaposition of guitar against Larabee’s vocals, instrumentation moves back a bit and floats with her ethereal delivery. Those hoping for the kind of goosebumps inducing crescendo of Larabee’s quiet, but molten, “punch you in the throat” vocals on Dig On and Eight Houses may be disappointed. It's not that that quality is gone, but the instrumentation preempts those moments with it’s own crescendos and softens her vocals, in contrast. But, those able to get past into this new feather down sound, will find the same biting and introspective lyrics, if somewhat softer delivery. Still, the instrumentation is quite Bad Seeds-like.

FCCs: None
RIYL: PJ Harvey, Patti Smith, Cat Power, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Play: 2,5,6,8,9,
Tracks: All slow to mid-tempo, as one would expect.

1. *** Hawk (01:22) - One ominous note on acoustic guitar and Larabee’s vocals, nearly acapella. Powerful, but brief.
2. *** Coyote (04:05) - Familiar plodding acoustic guitar with bass levels cranked and all ominous sounding. Spares rhythms and strings highlight. Instrumentation crescendos halfway through.
3. Dominance (03:08) - Keyboard intro. Vocals a bit Sade-like. Over-produced.
4. Breaking Weight (04:10) - Shuffling rhythm, spacey sound FX and keyboards dominate subdued vocals. Larabee’s vocal power comes through towards the end.
5. ** Queen of Cups (02:48) - Simple acoustic guitar accompaniment, with a few light floating flourishes of keyboard. Quiet and simple.
6. ** Longing (02:41) - Buzzy keyboard and light highhat rhythm. Instrumentation works better here, even with the space sounds.
7. First Quarter Moon (03:39) - Larabee’s vocals lead into this track, with piano accomp. Vaguely sounds like Cowboy Junkies.
8. *** Kinship (03:31) - Cool funky tribal rhythm leads in and Larabee’s over reverbed come in with a simple spare keyboard melody. This one has some of the fire you expect.
9. *** Ocean (03:48) - This one sounds like SKB of old. No-reverb, Travis picked amped acoustic guitar accompaniment, with Larabee’s vocals dominant. More of that vocal fire.
10. Sea Ice (03:11) - Spare instrumentation, actually does sound like ice, you know?! Vocals explore Larabee’s lower range. Quiet and lovely and finished before you realize, like sea ice.