Bees Deluxe ~ ~ Hallucinate

At first, I wasn't so sure about the description "Acid Blues" used to describe the British-American duo known as Bees Deluxe. When I think about acid rock, i think about grungy guitar driven heavy rock and thought that would be the same for the blues version. What I found on Hallucinate, their latest album, was a trippy collection of ethereal music, more akin to jazz blues than anything else.

Comprised of guitarist/bandleader Conrad Warre and the keyboardist/harmonica player Carol Band along with a collection of musician friends from the Boston area, Bees Deluxe has put out an album that lives up to its title of Hallucinate. Subjects range from aliens, gasoline, and French Bread to guitars, gambling, and asteroids. Their songs are definitely "out there" and demand to be listened to.

The album starts out with the darkly moody Sharkskin Suit. Although the song doesn’t  seems like synth, it reminds me of the early Pet Shop Boys the way the music mixes with the vocals. It's a fascinating, hypnotic number that makes me want to hear more.

A blues riff à la Albatross from Fleetwood Mac starts the next song, When Is Yesterday. The lyrics are strange and the whole song seems otherworldly. The guitar work is stellar, and the fade out really adds to the mood.

They follow up with Another Close Shave, the story of a man who always gets close to success only to have it snatched away by some set of circumstances. It has some solid blues runs and the subject matter is strictly blues. This is a cool song, and you can feel the resignation in his voice. I like this one a lot and will be looking for a place to play it!

Scared starts out with some slow lonely music and there's an echo on the vocals. The result is the song is eerie and dark and you can feel the fear as it creeps in and takes over the singer. Very artistic.

Reminiscent of some of the '60's groups that melded folk stylings into their music, the band tells the story of Queen Midas, who, "whatever she touches turns to gold."  So far, the band has dropped five songs of gentle psychedelic blues rock. The lyrics read like poetry and the music is soothing. They are an interesting band and I'm eager to hear more.

The next song, How To Pay 96 Tears, has nothing to do with the song 96 Tears by ? And The Mysterians. This song is a lovely instrumental that gives the piano a chance to shine. I love this one and will be putting it on my home playlist.

The song Nitro has a strong Steely Dan vibe with some sweet jazz rock. The horns add a great deal to the soundscape and the gentle nature of the number is very impressive. The vibe continues with Call Me Frank. "Call me Frank / Call me Frankenstein." There's some very nice harmonica counterpoint in this one. Good song.

The optimistic Men & Women follows. "Men and women / We don't even disagree." I like the direction this album is going.

The man Gary Burton is a big name in fusion jazz. He is a giant among vibraphone aficionados and developed the four mallet technique when most players were still using a two mallet style. The song, Gary Burton, pays homage to the man and his legacy. This is a beautiful slow instrumental that makes great use of the vibraphone.

A second homage is given to the great magician/escape artist and man with the biggest mother complex since Oedipus, Houdini. The song Houdini is a lovely song that incorporates the escape methodology with the jazz rock music that this album has been showcasing.

What's Wrong With Me closes out the album with a quiet question, "Like a falling tree / What's wrong with me?" That’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves over the years.

Hallucinate deserves multiple listenings in order to get all you can from the album. It is not meant to be played once and put away, it demands attention. Bees Deluxe also demands attention. They’re not going to be to everyone’s taste, those that just want to put on an album with blistering guitars are not going to be satisfied with the intricate musicality of the group.

But those who want to listen will find this to be a great trip to be on. Give them a listen at the various usual locations and check them out at their website.