Customer Reviews

Birds

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Over the last dozen years, Milwaukee's Collections of Colonies of Bees have made a name for themselves in part by being one of relatively few nationally-recognized groups whose recorded output has consisted largely of instrumental-only compositions. With their fifth album, "Birds" (2008), the CoCoBees have continued to work within their vein of Post-Rock, this time employing longer, more suite-like pieces, allowing the quintet to stretch-out musically and explore their experimental muse more fully.

The album consists of four tracks, or "Flocks" (I-IV) between seven and eleven minutes. Although these longer pieces do allow for a greater sense of continuity throughout the album compared with previous releases, it is also the case with "Birds" that the CoCo Bees often end up sounding like they recorded the same one song as four alternate takes with relatively little variation between them.

That may be unfair, but there does seem to be a formula of sorts going on here: Start with ambient, loopy laptop effects and static-y pops, enter bass-drum-thud and later on syncopated or rock-steady snare, and then power-chord the entire thing either to a crescendo end, or else fade back into the same laptop-ambience the piece started with. As a result, the "Flocks", at different times, can be described as alternately experimental or simply uninspired.

At its best, however, and there are many good moments, "Birds" takes flight in long, extended rocking jams that are singularly their own. Repetitive at times yes, but derivative, no. After years of experimentation, the CoCo Bees have largely developed their own unique sound, an accomplishment in its own right. In addition, the album is well produced and holds up when the volume control is cranked to eleven. Finally, the mix should satisfy the earbud and headphone crowd, especially when listening to the ambient portions. Such qualities make "Birds" a collection that bears repeat listening, although after awhile hearing the album as a whole can seem tedious and repetitive. Despite this flaw, the good news is that "Birds" is the best release by the CoCo Bees to date, so here's to hoping that their next collection will fly even further.