I’m actually
glad I waited a few months before reviewing the first studio album from Lady
Lamb the Beekeeper. We’ve all had the experience of losing our minds over a new
album after a listen or two, only to have second thoughts and a little embarrassment
over your initial freak out. However, that is not the case with Ripley Pine. I adore this album as much
as I did when it first came out in February and still proclaim it to be the
album of the decade.
At first I was
disappointed to see that Ripely Pine
had a few of the same songs as Lady Lamb the Beekeeper’s previous album, Mammoth Swoon. After listening, it was
like Mammoth Swoon was the equivalent
of being handed acoustic demos of Abbey
Road and accepting it as a complete album, only to be sideswiped when the
true album came out. The most fantastic thing about Ripely Pine is how surprising the arrangements are. There are
complete tempo and style changes throughout just about every song, right up
until you start to expect it, and then the stripped down acoustic “Florence Berlin ”
comes along just to make sure you know you have no idea. The album flows seamlessly
from banjo songs like “Regarding Ascending the Stairs” to the more orchestral “You
Are the Apple” into the almost straightforward rock of “Mezzanine.” My personal
favorite track, “Crane Your Neck,” seems like a solo acoustic female
singer/songwriter track that we’ve all heard roughly a million times before
(not that it wouldn’t be a completely fantastic version of one if that’s all it
was), until right around the four minute mark, when it becomes a danceable
indie rock track. And then it switches two more times after that. It’s a truly
original album I haven’t been this excited about since the first time I heard In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Yes, I
know that is indie rock heresy, but I will stand behind it.
Please check out Lady Lamb the Beekeeper's website, Facebook, and please check out her current tour dates and the official video for "The Nothing Part II" below.
6.11 THREE LINKS DALLAS, TX
6.12 MOHAWK AUSTIN, TX
6.14 PUB ROCK SCOTTSDALE, AZ
6.15 BOOTLEG LOS ANGELES, CA
6.16 RICKSHAW STOP SAN FRANCISCO, CA
6.18 THE CROCODILE SEATTLE, WA
6.19 MEDIA CLUB VANCOUVER, BC
6.20 BUNK BAR PORTLAND, OR
6.21 VISUAL ARTS COLLECTIVE BOISE, ID
6.23 HI-DIVE DENVER, CO
6.25 CZAR BAR KANSAS CITY, MO
6.26 GABE'S IOWA CITY, IA
6.27 THE EMPTY BOTTLE CHICAGO, IL
7.23 BEACHLAND BALLROOM CLEVELAND, OH
7.24 THE HAUNT ITHACA, NY
7.26 OTTOBAR BALTIMORE, MD
7.27 MR. SMALLS MILLVALE, PA
8.09 KAHBANG FESTIVAL BANGOR, ME
8.19 MOJO'S COLUMBIA, MO
8.20 DELUXE @ OLD NATIONAL INDIANAPOLIS, IN
8.21 THE MAJESTIC DETROIT, MI
8.22 TAFT BALLROOM CINCINATTI, OH
8.23 EXIT/IN NASHVILLE, TN
8.30 LODESTAR FESTIVAL CAMBRIDGE, UK
9.06 HOPSCOTCH MUSIC FEST RALEIGH, NC
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