U.K.’s The Bees have slipped under the radar for some baffling reason–I guess coming from across the pond will do that to you. The Bees’ sophomore release Octopus is a collection of golden 70s AM radio tunes, complete with well-placed harmonies, funky fresh guitars and some Dylanesque piano riffs. Take one listen to “Who Cares What the Question Is?” and tell me you don’t hear the influences of Dylan’s “Isis”! But these guys aren’t simple copycats–queue up the dusty jazz “Got to Let Go” and partake in a delightful array of horns and the like. These busy bees even manage to pull off the reggae “Listening Man” while still successfully executing country ditties like “Love in the Harbor”. Octopus is a thoughtful, fun album that clearly has a lot of heart and earnestness to it. From that respect, it seems like that they’ve picked up a thing or two from the very era of music they’re recreating.

Go and get a copy of Octopus.
Listen to “Got to Let Go” (4.9/5)
Listen to “Who Cares What the Question Is?” (4.7/5)