She Keeps Bees has always delivered a brooding menace underneath layers of blues and folk, but now their kettle’s practically boiling over. For new record ‘Eight Houses,’ tales of war and revenge provide an ominous tone to the band’s stripped down texture. After exploring America’s hidden past during their 2012 tour, bandmates Jessica Larabee and Andy LePlant came away from the experience with a better idea of how much pain and forced assimiliation American Indians endured. Tracks like ‘Greasy Grass’ and ‘Breezy’ are practically brimming over with this rage, while still delivering an intimate warmth and emotional pull that makes you feel like you’ve known Jessica for years. It’s a multi-layered record, whose change-up in production from the band’s previous home recordings has only added to its complexities. We discussed these new paths in our recent interview with the band.
See the band live tonight (10.22) at The Deli’s CMJ 2014 Roots Stage at Rockwood at 7pm
Read Mike Levine’s interview with She Keeps Bees