Search - Bigger Lovers :: Honey in the Hive

Junkmedia.org Review

05/20/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Track six is a hit, baby-you might as well just cue it to that once you tear off the plastic. Okay, I am getting ahead of myself. From the beginning then. Besides an all-too-infrequent drinking jag in a steadily gentrifying dive on the south side of Center City, I really don't spend much time in Philadelphia anymore. Curiously, in my mind the city is basically the same as when I left it in 1999, except there is a fancy glass building on South Broad Street where there was a big hole the entire time I lived there. That misguided belief that things haven't changed is why I am often almost stunned when I get wind of a Philly rock act making good. Not that there aren't dozens of hot rock teams plying their trade there. Indeed, incendiary sets on Philly stages by The Original Sins, Manta Ray and the almighty Lefty's Deceiver are lodged firmly in my head as probably some of the best performances I'll ever see. It's just that many bands have a way of getting stuck in Philadelphia and never getting deserved recognition. Not so with The Bigger Lovers, a quartet whose latest record Honey in the Hive boasts hooky power pop in the vein of Big Star. Bret Tobias, who in a former life was one-third of late lamented Philly indie rock outfit Moped, fronts the band. However, gone are the fist-pounding rockers characteristic of Tobias' work with his earlier combo ("Does Your Back Hurt?" being one of the best). TBL writes yearning, layered numbers and Honey in the Hive, the band's second long player, is stacked with patient, glistening pop. The crown jewel of this record is track six, "Bought Your Ghost." The song features some of the best harmonies and most impassioned lyrics, including the chorus' gripping question: "Was there nothing that I could say to make you change your mind?" The more aggressive rocker "Ivy Grows" is another standout track. Yes, the constant references to Big Star are warranted. In addition to guitars steeped ankle-deep in reverb (as in the languid verse of "Emmanuelle"), Tobias' voice even occasionally pleads in the same attractively thin register as Alex Chilton's. But TBL is not as one-dimensional as the constant association with Big Star might suggest. On this album, contemporary local and national influences are also evident. The album's opener, "Half Richard's" has more than a passing similarity to the work of Philly rock outfit The Photon Band. And on "Don't Know Why" and "Make Your Day" Tobias' voice takes on a striking resemblance to Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. The former song would fit nicely on Wilco's Being There. Ultimately, however, The Bigger Lovers' songwriting lets the act carve out its own niche. The band crafts compositions more dense than any of the bands mentioned above and manufactures mountains of hooks using rather traditional rock elements. Christ, there are even handclaps and roller-rink organ lines on this record that rock. With the mainstream media's new fetish for the "return of rock," it may not be long before the Bigger Lovers finally draw the kind of attention they deserve. Honey in the Hive is the band's best calling card to date. Jay Breitling
October 10, 2002"

The Wonder of Great Pop Music

Lee E. Coursey | 08/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great melodies, great harmonies, great compositions! Remember the first time you felt wonder? This album took me back to those times when simple things seemed like miracles, such as when a soap bubble would float away, then come back and sit next to you on the ground. There are some VERY memorable melodies, and a good mix of upbeat and mid-tempo songs on this CD. Highly recommended!"