“Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself, my name’s Ricky, and I-” “-Oh, me too” responds Rivka Ravede, co-founder of Philadelphia-based indie/alternative band SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE. “No, I don’t think you heard me right. I said that my name’s Ricky.” “Yeah, me too.” A similar sense of humor comes from guitarist and lead vocalist Zack Schwartz (also co-founder), who, when asked what the name of the band’s drummer for the night was, responds simply “Zack.” “Well, tell Zack that he’s very talented and that he did a great job tonight.” “I will… not” answers Schwartz. SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE is spearheaded by the trio of Rivka, Zack, and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Corey Wichlin, and performs with an additional drummer (“Zack”) and guitarist (Phil Warner) on their 2022 tour to support last year’s ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH. The record’s themes came through loud and clear, detailing what the cost of success means in the music industry in the most horrifically beautiful way. At 8PM on Friday night, opener Body Meat, an experimental producer and vocalist who specializes in abrasive synths and likewise harsh autotune vocals, warms up the crowd at The Secret Group with his unique 3-in-1 performance. This performance consists of production through soundboards (one of which he attacks with drum sticks) and synthesizers, vocals with his microphone, and dance synchronized to the music. The artist also attaches bike lights to his elbows, which perhaps even make his performance 4-in-1 with the addition of his own light show. Body Meat gives his all into his part of the show, expressing emotion through his physical movements as well as in his soul-piercing vocals. After Body Meat’s set, SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE steadily takes stage, tuning instruments and sound checking until 9PM. Then, with all band members ready, Zack Schwartz announces to the crowd, “Okay, so we'll… we’ll start now.” The first song of the night for the band is “ENTERTAINMENT,” also the first track on ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH. There is an incredibly true-to-source-material drum performance from Zack on this song, which is surprising to me given the fact that the actual opening to the track sounds literally like two robots in a boxing match. With this song, the band wastes no time in putting their best foot forward, demonstrating the supreme level of their on-stage chemistry. The band follows this up with “THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN’T DO” and “WRONG CIRCLE,” also sequentially second and third on the record. With the former, SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE is on their A-game in every aspect of the performance: the synchronous guitars, the rhythmic drumming inducing movement in the audience, and the chillingly wailed lyrics of “I’ll be your friend!” to close the song. Rivka shows off her beautiful vocal abilities with “WRONG CIRCLE” in a taste of what’s to come for the rest of the night. Corey holds down the synthesizer for the night, soothing the crowd into a swaying motion at will with performances of more easy going songs like “THE SERVER IS IMMERSED” and “Nail I Couldn’t Bite” off of 2018’s Hypnic Jerks. Also contributing in guitar and vocal performance while live, Corey handles the drums for the band on the studio recording end of things. One of SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE’s best performances of the night came with “Twenty First Road Trip,” a cut from 2017’s Pleasure Suck. “Twenty First Road Trip” employs a shredding punk attitude, simultaneously maintaining an aesthetic pleasure with the surfing guitar chords as well as freshening the track with the band’s ability to switch the beat on the drop of a dime. I was excited to see that the band performed the title track “Hypnic Jerks,” given that it was my favorite off of the album. SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE did the track justice in a live setting, with every element of the track being done on the spot even with the odd time signature present on much of the song. This was one of the performances that also demonstrated the great height of the band’s ability to play off of one another’s energy levels. Zack Schwartz intersperses found footage vocal samples between nearly every song, much in the same way that Hypnic Jerks sounds. Aside from being the lead vocalist of the band, Zack plays a wide variety of guitars throughout the night, backed similarly by Corey. Zack also adds the flangers and echo effects onto vocal performances, demonstrating his desire to accurately represent the studio recorded version. The band also previews one of their newest singles following ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH, “THE DOOR IS CLOSING.” Similar to “Twenty First Road Trip,” this track shows the band’s collective talent in their ability to switch up the tone of the performance at will. “I SUCK THE DEVIL’S ****” does more of the same; in the beginning, Corey’s vocals lead the charge in the punk-rock mentality of rebellion. Switching to Rivka’s more heartfelt section, SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE again swiftly changes the mood, sequencing the changes in line like dominoes. The band takes a brief intermission on stage while the suave, sensual track “I Still Can’t Sleep” by Bernard Herrmann, the main theme to Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver,” entrances the audience. Zack Schwartz shouts out Body Meat for his guest appearance, and gives tribute to the last three days they have with him on tour (following their Dallas, TX show, indie rock band Deeper will take Body Meat’s place). SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE’s best performance of the night comes with their closer “Fell Asleep With a Vision.” I failed to understand this track as a studio recording, but their live performance improved my perspective of the track by leaps and bounds. With the entire band taking the phrase “save the best for last” to heart, it’s evident that each and every member of the stage put their all into this one: Zack Schwartz strikes a chord not only with his guitar, but also with his passion-invoking vocals; Corey Wichlin, back to the wall now, rips the guitar with every ounce of care he has; Rivka Ravede’s hair shaggs over her face as she falls to her knees, tearing the bass apart; not to mention Phil on the guitar and Zack’s drums, who play an instrumental role in maintaining the quality and hype level of the performance. Put simply, this was my favorite concert I’ve ever had the privilege of attending. SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE emphasizes the importance of truly putting on a show, clearly drawing as much effort as they can into not only showing the audience a good time, but also having fun themselves while doing so. The band’s chemistry is not something to be taken for granted; everything is in sync and on point, with the amount of dedication each member places into their part matching one another.
Tl;dr: SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE rocks. View the partial recording here.
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After discovering SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE’s terrifying (yet terrific) project from this year, ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH, I was excited as ever by the prospect of delving into the band’s prior music. What I didn’t expect was the stylistic differences that the group’s 2018 album Hypnic Jerks would show. Only relating sonically to the new album in the slightest possible ways, Hypnic Jerks displays some of my favorite alternative/indie rock tracks that I’ve been exposed to all year.
Hopelessly cryptic lyrics load track after track on this project, which are interlaced with oddly haunting vocal samples that sound as though they come straight from some home video. Not only does the eerie instrumental help cast these samples into a spooky shadow, but the samples themselves seem misshapen; the things said seem like fragmented sentences put back together in the most confusing, creepy possible order. This can be seen on the album’s stellar opener “Nail I Couldn’t Bite,” where a child declares “Good evening ladies and gentlemen / I’m here talking to you, but I’m not.” This track is an excellent display of what’s to come overall in the project: great indie rock chord progressions, nihilistic views, and glorious vocals. Other examples of the odd sampling are included at many points on the record, such as in “D.O.U.B.L.E.U.R.O.N.G.,” where a grandfather that sounds only vaguely human tells a cautionary tale of his three irresponsible grandchildren. Though this is likely the weakest track on the album, as the second half doesn’t offer much in terms of songwriting to redeem the first half which drags on with this interlude/skit, it still feels necessary in giving the album a bit of a breather. The slow-paced ending to the song helps in doing this, preparing the listener for an even more amazing half of the record. The immediately lovable “Poly Swim” drowns me in the most delightful way, romanticizing the act. The soft bell chiming upwards in the song comes from the stars, bringing you floating in a pool towards the cosmos. I especially love the few points in the verse at which band frontman Zack Schwartz appears to break down, emphasizing the lyrics as though to make them seem the most important (“This will only bring you pain / … / This will only bring you down”). A point on the record which was not so charming straight away for me was the title track, “Hypnic Jerks.” Though it isn’t necessarily a low accessibility song, it took a few listens to realize how special this one is. Taking a more fast-paced approach to what is likely the most indie rock cut on the album, the track opens with isolated droning synths, then quickly moves on to an upbeat, knocking percussive performance. This track is the most solid all around, with addictive vocal deliveries, lyrics (“Take my eyes and flush them out / Paste them to your wall”), and guitar twangs. An indie folk direction is taken on “Mantra Is Repeated,” where we get our first instance of a vocal performance from bassist and occasional vocalist Rivka Ravede. Weaving her lines between Schwartz’s, Ravede’s singing plays a beautiful contrast both through the sweet melody and warming delivery. Another healthy dose of Ravede’s angelic voice comes with the varied soundscape that is “(Without You) In My Pocket.” This one is a journey, making its run time of under 4 minutes seem infinitesimal. It plays a role similar to that of “I SUCK THE DEVIL’S C***” on ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH, as this track also managed to pack what sounds to be an entire album into one song. Fitting so many great ideas into such a short time span should be illegal. Shoegaze elements make their way on to “Can I Receive the Contact?,” which is perhaps the most openly comedic track on the project; the one-off chorus seems like a desperate effort to get someone’s human touch. Whether or not this is meant in a romantic way is unspecified, but it is funnier to imagine this as an attempt to court a potential partner. The only other point at which I find problems besides “D.O.U.B.L.E.U.R.O.N.G.” is the curt track “Fell Asleep With a Vision.” Somehow, this is the band’s most popular track, a fact that incessantly baffles me. Though it isn’t bad once it gets its momentum going, the moment is utterly short lived as it ends in just over a minute. This is all without mentioning the somewhat awkward start the track gets off to, as it takes off without warning; this can be a good quality in some tracks, but doesn’t work for me here due to how rocky it comes off. This record goes out on a great note with the final two cuts, “Monumental Shame” and “It’s Gonna Find You.” Similar in tone to Tame Impala’s “Led Zeppelin” (but not necessarily in vibe or lyrics), “Monumental Shame” is another distinctive indie folk track. Though it’s alike to “D.O.U.B.L.E.U.R.O.N.G.” in that it gives the album a breather (the last one this time), “Monumental Shame” is different from “D.O.U.B.L.E.U.R.O.N.G.” in that it doesn’t drag on in any way and actually contributes to the consistency of the project. The album’s ever-appropriate closer “It’s Gonna Find You” leaves the best impression possible, akin to the title track in that it’s very solid all around. The instrumental break to end the album pulls one last rabbit out of the hat, invoking feelings of contentment in me that no other point on the record had. This album has such a diverse musical and emotional range to offer, and I’m not even sure that I’ve discovered them all. Hypnic Jerks is a great listen for any alternative/indie rock lover. Though ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH may have this one beat in terms of artistic merit and exploration, Hypnic Jerks is unquestionably my favorite SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE record so far. SUMMARY: Dipping into a varied indie graveyard soundscape, SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE pulls out the stops for Hypnic Jerks and delivers one of my favorite indie rock albums I’ve heard all year. RiYL: Yves Tumor, Car Seat Headrest, Lomelda Recommended tracks: Hypnic Jerks, Poly Swim, It’s Gonna Find You The Blue Stones fail to interest or excite me for the most part on Hidden Gems, save for a very sparse selection of tracks.
Is this dad music? I’m unsure whether I’m just too young for this to truly captivate me or not, but this record seemingly provides cut after cut of watered down tracks, clearly deriving much “inspiration” from blues rock band The Black Keys. Although the record shows promise by opening with the passable “Lights On” and “Shakin’ off the Rust,” the track listing soon devolves into lulling, unwavering deliveries in instrumentals and even more boring vocal approaches. For example, “Careless” starts off with perhaps the most heavily sleep-inducing performances on the album, then fails to progress in any way at all, either lyrically or instrumentally. The static nature of much of the record provides for one of the least enjoyable listens I’ve had all year, aside from that girl in red project back in May. The following “Grim” gives an even worse vocal performance; the particularly irritating stop-and-go delivery to begin the song has me reaching for the skip button before I’ve even heard more than a few seconds of it. There is a glimmer of hope provided by the succeeding cut “Let It Ride,” which, although it still sounds like an energetic Black Keys rip off, at least this time sounds like a good rip off. This being the only track that truly sparked interest in me (at least upon my first few listens), I wondered if it was worth it to continue to return to this record for one song even after it had let me down so many times previously. This track, along with “Make This Easy,” was one which I could point out and say that I enjoyed across the board; production-wise and vocally, these two were part of what little I could take away after having heard Hidden Gems. “Make This Easy” takes a well-needed tune up in guitar performance and lyrics. One of the only memorable guitar progressions throughout the album, it gave me some sense of not having completely wasted my time listening to this thing. The worst of the lyrics appear on “L.A. Afterlife,” supported by an instrumental that was done an absolute injustice. At this point in the project, I’m questioning how much second thought was even given to many of the tracks here; had this happened, perhaps the effort would have at least shown up. “Spirit” is another passable track, but again fails to stick or interest the listener. Ending on a somewhat sour note, the long-winded “Oceans” closes the record. The potential in this track is visible, but apparently out of reach for The Blue Stones. Closing in here on 10 tracks and 40 minutes, the album title does make me think: do The Blue Stones want us to search for the “hidden gems” amongst all the other rubble provided on this project? If so, it worked. Digging for the 2 or 3 gems here doesn’t exactly prove a very fruitful experience, however; spend your time elsewhere. Tracks worth giving a listen to are “Let It Ride” and “Make This Easy.” |
AuthorEnrique Cardenas III Archives
November 2021
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