Search - Hazeldine :: How Bees Fly

Hazeldine, an alternative-country quartet from Albuquerque, has signed a record deal with Polydor since releasing their indie debut, How Bees Fly. That disc finds them combining the blunt feminism and lo-fi rock of Liz Phair with the twangy drone of Neil Young's slower songs. Singer/guitarists Shawn Barton and Tonya Lamm combine for world-weary, female harmonies on country-rock laments about women who are either taken for a ride or taken for granted. When Barton sings on "Yer Shoes," in the voice of a wife who informs her husband, "I'm taking my baby, but I'm leaving your name to linger on here with your silence," she does so with a calm finality rather than anger. The melodies and rhythms aren't as focused as they might be, though, and the band's potential is more impressive than its accomplishments. --Geoffrey Himes