Drawn from Bees

Drawn From Bees have been garnering an increasing number of plaudits over the past six months. The Brisbane outfit’s debut EP The Boy And The Ocean snared praise from a variety of disparate quarters, while their recent Garage2V success only confirmed their position as one of their city’s most promising acts. It’s a typical career arc for Australian independent bands that almost inevitably leads to over-hyped albums and underwhelming material. Drawn From Bees, however, have managed to break the mould.



And The Blind Shall Lead The Way, the band’s impressively titled debut album, is an absolutely stunning release – overflowing with gorgeous harmonies, psychedelic flourishes and fantastic songs. The swirling harmonies and twanging guitars of ‘Long Tooth Setting Sun’ make for a spine-tingling introduction to the record and, stunningly, Drawn From Bees never let the quality drop. The psychedelic guitar leads of ‘Waiting For The End’ are resplendent with melancholy and ‘These Philistines’, replete with ghostly organ and cascading guitar, captivates the listener for the entirety of its six-minute running time.



And The Blind…’s most pervasive quality is, surprisingly, one of restraint. Drawn From Bees are hardly without ambition but they never over-extend. Each and every song is precisely and meticulously constructed and the album itself only barely breaks the half-hour barrier. The signal lack of indulgence is both the album’s greatest strength and its only shade of weakness. A contained and well-crafted statement of intent, And The Blind Shall Lead The Way establishes Drawn From Bees as a band with boundless talent and promising vision – but one wonders if they’ll have the courage to take true advantage of their own capacity for future offerings.

Matt O’Neill 4/5
Time Off Magazine 08 April 2009 - Time Off Magazine

Previously known as ‘Glasshouse’, Brisbane band Drawn from Bees have been all over the place lately with various mind-splitting performances. This album sees the act reinvented as a progressive psychedelic rock outfit seemingly poised to take over your mind in everyway possible. Big props to the boys for the amazing rock harmonies displayed throughout this record. Every song takes the listener into a new world with a new vibe and a new feeling. This can sometimes be a little confusing and disrupt the flow of the album, but also wakes the listener up after each track to prepare them for what’s ahead. Waiting for the End is lyrically amazing, with lead vocalist Daniel James displaying some admirable falsetto. And the Blind Shall Lead the Way provides a delicately haunting example of what this Brisbane four piece is capable of. But who knows? The blind may be leading the blind in this case.

(Viv) 7/10

Tsunami Magazine – April 2009 - Tsunami Magazine

Local lads meet self-imposed deadline

One of the most interesting things about Brisbane-based Drawn From Bees, the band rising phoenix-like from the ashes of Glasshouse, is their self-imposed creative schedule. From the outset, they promised four releases over two years, which averages to one release every six months. Fortunately, unlike most musicians, they’re able to stick to deadlines: this release, their third, arrives ahead of schedule, which should leave them more than enough time to work on a longer fourth one, hopefully a full LP (this year’s And The Blind Shall Lead The Way was technically a ‘mini-LP,’ whatever that means). Sound-wise, this release is a little lighter than ATBSLTW: although lead single Cables In The Sky has more than enough rawk propulsion, its soaring, reverb-drenched harmonies give its bridge a bit more space than their past work. It’s successor, Say What You Mean, features delicate harmonies, acoustic guitar, and big, booming floor toms in the distance, making it a far cry from Triple J favourite Long Tooth Setting Sun. In short, The Sky Is Falling finds Drawn From Bees opening up their sound and experimenting with more diverse musical textures. It might not be as immediate as ATBSLTW, but it is impressive nevertheless.
CHAD PARKHILL


http://www.ravemagazine.com.au/content/view/17521/181/ - Rave Magazine

One of the drawbacks of pop music is the tendency to blend into the crowd. Too many bands pass off albums that sound like they could have been recorded by 10,000 other bands. What is frustrating is that those albums usually aren’t bad, they just don’t have anything that makes them stand out. Pop music’s formula shouldn’t be too hard to figure out, but it still eludes 90% of the bands that pump out music on a regular basis. The formula? Find one or two things you do well, and lean on those strengths, without exhausting their novelty. Drawn From Bees apparently got the memo.
Sonically, Drawn From Bees really isn’t that different from its peers. The group’s music plays off the noise from the guitars, which creates the musical identity of the song, which Daniel James then plays off for the song’s melody. That’s pretty much Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 for most of your bands out there. And that’s fine, because one can’t reasonably expect every good band to be groundbreaking and otherwordly unique. What one should expect is what Drawn From Bees delivers. The band capitalizes on their ability to harmonize and capture anthemic moments into art-rock songs. Drawn From Bees doesn’t use sugar-sweet melodies as much as it tries to reflect moods. I’m usually a big melody guy, but I sense Drawn From Bees doesn’t wish to highlight its songs with the common method of melody, opting for dark tones and attitude. And it’s something the members do well.
Admittedly, the album starts out on a marginal note. “Long Tooth Setting Sun” uses harmony and repetition to make its mark, but passes without much ado. The song doesn’t convey very much emotion, thus the song is forced to rely on its passable guitar riff and melody. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a decent song, but it fails to make an impression. “Waiting for the End” delves a little more into the overall sound of DFB, and again, is a pretty good song, but it’s missing something. It sounds like the song should have been slowed down and more deliberate, to darken the tones of the song. The :28 “You Can’t Relax” is just a placeholder from song 2 to song 4, so And The Blind Shall Lead the Way has starts off rather passively, as I roll my eyes and say “Hear we go again”. Then, almost from nowhere, DFB hits a remarkable 3 song stretch that serves as the core of the album. “Frozen Over Kid” opens with a shimmering guitar riff, sharp melody, accompanied with a nice harmony. The song is darker, and benefits from a marching-style drum beat, with the deliberant pace needed on “Waiting for the End.” “People (Living Underground)” follows the break-out song, and hinges itself on mood and an anthemic approach. Pulsating electronics shade the song with darker tones that enriches to no end. The drums steal the show, however, with a rolling, marching style, that sets off the song beautifully. Not to be outdone, “They Close the Door” calls back the marching drums for another round, which again, do wonders for the song. A somber, harmonic melody lushly fills the song with an accessible flavor, and even gives this art-rock song a little bit of a hook. “Amelia” follows the stellar 3 songs, which is in the same vein as “Long Tooth Setting Sun.” It’s more of a rock song than the rest of the album, but it’s still good, featuring some light piano and a solid melody. “These Philistines” goes back to the stengths of the album’s core. Marching style drums, and wobbly electronics, not to mention a tight bass line. The song is highlighted with it’s antagonistic, bleak attitude. “Lullaby” closes the album with a pretty, repetitive harmonized song that brings closure to ATBSLTW.
Drawn From Bees delivers a really good album, cemented in art-rock. I can tell that these guys have a great album in them, if they make the necessary adjustments. They should capitalize on their marching-style drums, and harmonize the hell out of their songs. After all the blandness in the majority of music, I’m refreshed by Drawn From Bees, but I urge the band to use their strengths even more. More deliberate songs, Drawn From Bees. And much more marching drums! I hope that gets the message to the group. For now, ATBSLTW, is really good work, but hopefully Drawn From Bees will soon deliver something great.

May 27, 2009 by Bradley Hartsell

http://www.adequacy.net/2009/05/drawn-from-bees-and-the-blind-shall-lead-the-way/ - Adequacy.net

RIC’S BAR: 31.10.09
It’s no real surprise to most when they discover that Drawn From Bees have been playing together in a previous incarnation for over a decade. As a live outfit, they are as tight as any band in Brisbane, using lavish song arrangements and haunting group harmonies to create an effortlessly powerful live sound that is ultimately a derivation of the art rock traditions whilst being undeniably original. Tonight’s set is truly a credit to the band, who put on an exhilarating performance despite the relatively minimal crowd at one of the smaller venues in town. ‘Long Tooth Setting Sun’ is an obvious favourite and it’s no wonder – the Triple J rotational is the band’s most powerful live track, seeing their exceptional group vocals perfectly complemented by wall of sound instrumentation and thick guitar lines. ‘Waiting For The End’ is equally impressive, showing an undeniable influence from David Bowie, with eerie vocals and delayed guitar lines making up the basis of most of the track. It’s really quite remarkable that a band the calibre of Drawn From Bees are still able to be seen in free venues – it is surely only a matter of time before they will be seen on bigger and more impressive stages by larger and more adoring audiences.
...

TYLER JONES - Time Off

DRAWN FROM BEES – And The Blind Shall Lead The Way
Monday, 30 March 2009
(Bonefinger)

Killer second release from local psych-pop collective

Four Brisbanites with a mutual love of ‘60s music, Drawn From Bees have been displaying plenty of promise since their formation, and here, on CD number two, they reconfirm their status of a true musical force. Possessing considerable songwriting skills as well as a striking frontman in Dan James, the combo’s rather unusual moniker (which also hints at all the great ‘B’s in rock & roll vernacular – The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Big Star etc) becomes self-explanatory once the honeyed voices and major-minor melodic shifts start pouring out of the speakers. And The Blind Shall Lead The Way is a mini-LP where DFB not only continue to ply their own brand of slightly lysergic indie-pop, but also distil more category-A hooks – both to stellar effect. The Beatles-esque chorus of opener Long Tooth Setting Sun packs as much potential as the whistle-led Picture Show from 2008’s excellent The Boy & The Ocean EP, while the E-bow intro of Waiting For The End adds a delicate touch of darkness to the otherwise musically sun-dappled tune and They Close The Door is DFB’s first real epic. The band’s now-trademark three-part harmonies get a workout on the choral You Can’t Relax, which segues into the terrific Frozen Over Kid; put simply, ATBSLTW is another hands-down winner for the Bonefinger stable.

DENIS SEMCHENKO - Rave Magazine

Arriving at the Troubadour with time to spare, I head to the bar eagerly awaiting tonight s performance. By nine pm a decent crowd of people has already began to arrive and we are soon treated to the opening act Chloe Turner.

This is the first time I have ever seen Chloe Turner live and I must say that for someone with a self confessed chest infection, her voice is magical; making it impossible to pay attention to anything else going on stage while you are hearing it. While her sound is clearly set in the folk genre, her ventures into Blues Rock make for a very engaging display of her musical capabilities.

Next up are young up and comers Ball Park Music who tonight brought just about every friend, relative and or neighbour they could find to witness what turns out to be an engaging fun filled 45- minute set.

Ball Park Music make fun indie pop, but not in the angular guitars and shouty vocals styles of Operator Please’s Stop!, But rather the more refined pop offerings of Belle and Sebastian and the Magic Numbers combined with the slight soulful tendencies of the Zutons.

Their set tonight sees both vocalists Samuel Cromack and Jennifer Boyce take centre stage for a couple of mostly acapella offerings which quickly remind us how great performance can be when the vocalists can actually sing; something which has been overlooked in many corners of the indie world.

By the time the fourth song ‘All I want is you’ kicks in, the band has the audience dancing and giving themselves to their sing-along happy tunes. Other highlights include the trombone infused ‘Black Skies’ and the delightful ‘Mr Maybe’.

Having only been together for just over 12 months Ball Park Music sound like a band who have been making music for years, Sam makes a confident and charismatic frontman and backed by his army of 5 talented musicians this is a band who will be difficult to ignore in 2009.

Drawn from Bees have been receiving a lot of praise and attention in the last few months. Having recently been selected as finalists in the Garage to V competition and been featured in Triple J s 2009 program, the boys have set themselves the difficult task of recording and releasing material every 6 months.

So tonight marks the launch of their second offering ‘And The Blind Shall Lead the Way’ and having previewed their new songs on myspace it is with much anticipation and excitement that the punters await to see how these tracks will translate to the live environment.

As the band steps on to the stage wearing some eerie looking masks which would not look out of place in a Tim Burton movie, it is clear that tonight we will be treated to a theatrical performance as Drawn from Bees waste no time in creating some of the loveliest interpretations of modern pop to grace our ears in quite a long time.

With the help of constant collaborator Phil Usher from Grand Atlantic on guitar and percussion duties tonight, Drawn from Bees begin their set with a sound that can only be describe as grandiose.

Unfortunately sound and technical difficulties make for a distracting annoyance during their performance, yet this is quickly forgotten as Dan James and Stew Riddle treat us to some very impressive harmonies during the magnificent “People (Living Underground)” which leaves the troubadour audience in complete awe.

But the harmonies don’t stop there as the infectiously catchy song “Long Tooth Setting Sun” has all 4 members of the band singing its anthem like chorus as members of the audience pump their fists into the air and join in the sing-along.

Other stand-outs were aplenty, from ‘They Close the door’ to The Boy and the Ocean’s incendiary ‘English Lines’ and ‘Picture Show’. Singer and guitarist Dan James drives forward every track with a dramatic and hypnotic like quality while lead guitarist Raven Jones wide array of unconventional sonic textures ignite a truly atmospheric sound experience.

By the time the set closer ‘Amelia’ is delivered, the troubadour has tonight been witness to a portion of Brisbane’s best talents and with no encore delivered it is with much anticipation that we wait for Drawn from Bees and Ballpark music’s next move, Watch this space closely because just as 2008 was the year for Yves Klein Blue and John Steel Singers; 2009 might just belong to these two awesome acts. - Faster Louder

Drawn From Bees may be a new band on the block, but you wouldn't know it after listening to their debut EP. The members have each taken their individual experiences from time spent around the world and collaborated to create an album which is sincere, soulful, and simply beautiful. Standout track for me would have to be 'English Line' - something about the vocals remind me of Muse, but the instrumentals are softer. Keep your eyes and ears out for this talented upcoming band - no doubt you'll be hearing more of them in the future. These boys are gonna make Brissie proud! - Scene Magazine

Brisbane’s hardest-working psych outfit drop excellent debut album

Three EPs in twelve months: define workaholism.

Formerly prog-rockers Glasshouse, Drawn From Bees signalled their arrival with 2008’s astonishing The Boy And The Ocean EP (featuring the wondrous Picture Show), then churned out another killer pair during the following year – And The Blind Shall Lead The Naked (heralded by signature tune Long Tooth Setting Sun) and The Sky Is Falling. The quartet’s first album proper, Fear Not The Footsteps Of The Departed was originally planned to be their EP number four, however Dan James and co’s relentless writing resulted in enough songs to fill a whole LP.

The opening Run Away is a quintessential DFB single, ticking every box in their now-established formula: crunchy, guitar-led verse, big harmonic chorus and some slight psychedelicisms. Throughout the record, skinsman Matt Wedmaier supplies intricate backbeat underneath Raven’s taut guitar parts and bassist Stew Riddle’s busy pulse, while James’ distinctive tenor voice reaches soaring point on the ethereal Too Long. Always The Last’s pneumatic bassline grooves hard, the moody, Beatlesque East Wood Fox is another authentic “grower” and Stand Against The Storm is DFB at their catchiest. The album’s fastest-paced number, Awful Mess hardly lives up to its title, instead nicely combining Bloc Party-like atmospherics with trademark four-part vocal harmonies.

Yet more treasures surface in the shape of the truly revelatory closing treble of Undertakers, All The World’s A Stage and the supremely melancholic Why Bother. Thoroughly melodic and oft-delightfully trippy, FNTFOTD is DFB’s finest hour so far.
- Rave Magazine

Ambitious rock collection favours both quantity and quality

This limited release box set fulfils the rigorous, self-imposed work ethic outlined by Brisbane art rock quartet Drawn From Bees in 2008: to write, record and release new material every six months. Think of Elementary Tales as a long-exposure snapshot of an ambitious band-in-progress. Comprising 35 songs split between three EPs and a debut album, Fear Not The Footsteps Of The Departed, Drawn From Bees aren’t short on hooks, nor willingness to experiment.

The nine tracks on second EP And The Blind Shall Lead The Way each hit high notes; lead cut “Long Tooth Setting Sun” contains one of the best examples of their favoured four-part harmonies. Very few of these songs feel undercooked; many sizzle with admirable clarity of vision. Their studious devotion to deadlines could be construed as over-earnestness, yet if anything, this career-so-far summary only underlines how serious Drawn From Bees are about their art. Taken in its entirety, this is a remarkable body of work. - Rolling Stone

With Powderfinger about to check into the retirement village, the arrival of Drawn from Bees's impressive debut album could not have been better timed to plug the imminent gap on the Brisbane pop-rock export market. Well -- in this genre-clogged music world -- the Bees identify as art-rockers, but this album is more singalong radio-friendly than that label would suggest and their only avant-garde aspect appears to be lead singer Dan James's peculiar white-bobbed do. But who cares on which musical shelf they belong, because this album will probably spend most of its time in, or close to, the CD player.

There are 12 perfect songs on this album of 14 -- not bad for a band with just three EPs behind it. The two less exciting songs, This Body and first single Run Away, fail because, in the first case, they should avoid mopey ballads, while the second song uses the irritating "woo-hoo" as the primary chorus lyric.

The rest of the album is richly recorded indie-pop perfection using choral-style harmonies, iPhone noise experiments and lit-lyrics. There are influential dashes of the Beatles, David Bowie and Radiohead while All the World's a Stage might just be a nod to their powder-fingered predecessors.

Early favourites are The East Wood Fox, a beautiful and dazzling melody-full song about unrequited love, as well as the melancholic and haunting pair, Lights On and Too Long. - The Australian