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Album Details

• Artist: The Lesser Birds of Paradise
• Album: String Of Bees
• Label: Contraphonic
• Year of Release: 2004
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2004-04-02

I had almost forgotten about this band. I reviewed their album A Suitable Frame and fell in love with their soft spoken music. I actually forgot all about that release when I got String Of Bees and then once I listened to the band I realized they sounded very familiar. At first I thought that it was their similarity to the Weakerthans that was the recognition but then it dawned on me that I had their previous album. This Chicago band is gentle and quite in all the right places. Think of a less political Weakerthans with a few more instruments introduced. They make use of instruments like the ukulele, saw, vibes, lap steel and dulcimer. Tracks like "Mermaid On The Blvd." are gentle but happy just the same. Some people may find Mark Janka's vocals are to non-emotional but they work so well for this type of music. This music is not country but at times you could place them alongside the likes of Clem Snide. Other times I'm reminded of the quiet sounds of Crooked Fingers. Lesser Birds of Paradise have created a fantastic album that college music fans will fall in love with.

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