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Bee Thousand is one fantastic mess of an album. It is truly the prototype for lo-fi rock, with grainy vocals and instrumentation
sounding like it was recorded on a Fisher Price tape recorder. While this is one part of what gives Bee Thousand its distinctiveness,
what really stands out it its many segments of rock tunes that make up the entire album. The album's 20 tracks only last for
37 minutes. The songs are not typical rock songs, but seem more like they were each cut out of 3 or 4 minute tracks, and thrown
into the album. The band wastes no time in moving from one musical idea to the next. A typical track will last about a minute
and a half, establishing a catchy melody or hook, then immediately cut to the next song. It's something that seems like it
shouldn't work at all, but it really does (despite a few duds). Listening through the album is almost like being in someone's
mind that's brainstorming great rock songs, jumping from one idea to the next, but never really laying out complete tracks.
But the brief glimpses of music that comes out of these ideas are exceptional.
Key Tracks:
Buzzards and Dreadful Crows
The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory
Queen of Cans and Jars
Final Verdict: 9.0
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