Hailing from San Francisco, Persephone’s Bees is your average non-traditional pop-rock band, consisting of a foreign, female lead singer, backed up by a guitarist, bassist and drummer.
The latest CD release from Persephone’s Bees, entitled “Notes from the Underworld,” features fairly consistent yet pleasing guitar riffs and drumbeats, along with singer and songwriter Angelina Moysov’s soprano voice. Moysov, who grew up in Russia, creates a vocal sound similar to that of artists such as Bjork and Imogene Heap; accented, and constantly changing in pitch and intonation.
Although Moysov’s fluctuating vocals are usually fun and rhythmic, her lyrics are too bland to allow the music of Persephone’s Bees to traverse anywhere beyond pop. Lines such as “show me the way to your heart” and “I see darkness in your eyes” are overused by musical artists in general, and Moysov makes the mistake of repeating these lines, over and over in her songs.
If you happen to be looking for a new pop-rock album that sounds vaguely familiar with just a splash of uniqueness, then “Notes from the Underworld” is worth listening to. If innovation and true musical genius is what you seek, then you’re in for a painful Bee sting. Persephone’s Bees will be playing at the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland on August 25.