Bee Stings

Album review

For over two decades, Duglas T. Stewart and his BMX buddies have been creating some of the finest pop music to ever grace the U.K.'s indie rock charts. While they haven't taken the world by storm, they've built an intensely loyal fanbase in Europe and Japan while making inroads in the U.S. The only member who has remained constant throughout the years has been Duglas, while past members have gone on to form the Soup Dragons, Superstar, Teenage Fanclub, and other like-minded outfits. While the bandmembers change with each release, the Bandits' musical focus remains unchanged: pure pop that touches the heart. Whether the song is lush and romantic or a tad bit lightweight, Duglas manages to continually create albums that feel like old friends: warm, passionate, and inviting. When longtime bandmember Francis McDonald left the band in the early 00s, it seemed like Duglas might have lost his greatest ally. When the album My Chain was released in 2006, the results sounded, understandably, like a Duglas solo album, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The album lacked the big, bouncy moments that the Bandits were best known for, replaced with a melancholy vibe that was beautiful and heartbreaking but not a whole lot of fun. With Bee Stings, things seem to be a bit more upbeat in Duglas' world. While it may not be as rockin' as their '90s albums Life Goes On or Gettin' Dirty, the songs are more upbeat and cohesive than those on My Chain and the results are nothing less than wonderful. Imagine Burt Bacharach, Serge Gainsbourg, Brian Wilson, and Jimmy Webb in a recording studio, crafting an album of intense beauty filled with soft, whispering melodies that seem to float on air and you might understand where Bee Stings fits in the musical scheme of things. Duglas' voice has matured and he approaches each song with heart and passion. His latest BMX ally is the beautiful Rachel Mackenzie, who handles half the lead vocals. Her voice is soft, sweet, and gentle and not unlike prime Olivia Newton-John (minus the glossy production). Her duets with Duglas sound genuine and sincere, a match made in musical heaven. The songs on Bee Stings are beautiful mini symphonies that recall the abovementioned songwriters while remaining distinctly BMX Bandits. "The Last Song" is the closest that this album gets to the classic Bandits sound, although "Foggy," "Doorways," "Elegant Lines," and "Sing the Things" keep things a little more upbeat. When things get lovely, as they do on "Just Remember I'm a Woman" and "After I Made Love to You," the album becomes a slice of heaven on earth. Thank God for Duglas T. Stewart and BMX Bandits.

© Steve "Spaz" Schnee /TiVo