The term “Kmart realism” was first coined in the 1980s to describe a trend in literary fiction defined by sparse sentences, fast food, and the hyper-acceleration of capitalism and commercialization in mostly suburban settings. Kmart realists such as Mary Robison, Raymond Carver, Denis Johnson, and, to some extent, Don DeLillo, wrote about the eerie feeling of walking into a mall at night, relaxing in front of the television, and being welcome endless ads for personal injury lawyers and small town water parks to send your brain into synthetic drug oblivion. The term could also be applied to Spirit of the Beehive, the project of Philly psych punks Zack Schwartz, Rivka Ravede and Corey Wichlin, whose excellent fourth album, FUN, DEATH, illuminated by the same, eerie, fluorescent glow.
If you were trying to have a conversation while listening FUN, DEATH, you would forget what you were saying as the words poured out of your mouth. It's an inherently unsettling album that doesn't stick to any particular narrative. Instead, it's fragmented, stitched together with bits of old commercials, bursts of noise and guitar breakdowns. Opener “Entertainment” starts out sounding like auto demolition, then explodes, taking on the quality of a rotten yé-yé song. A string section rises from the dirt. the lyrics are hazy and garbled. “Heading east to KSMO/16-wheelers pass too close/The dust picks us up and swallows us whole,” Schwartz sings, as if waking from a nap.
Spirit of the Beehive aren't unparalleled, but they just don't sound like anyone else on their home stage. They come from the world of Philadelphia DIY, punk basements without proper plumbing, and houses with big front porches. They hang out with people in bands like Palm and Body Meat. Frank Ocean is a fan. If anything, their sound is less akin to Philly DIY and closer to the kind of music released by London's Warp. With their talent for fermenting chintzy pop music into something furious and noisy, they evoke something like electro chanson freaks Jockstrap.
FUN, DEATH it's not significantly different from anything this band has made before, it's just better, more refined. It's no less weird or haunted than, say, 2018 album/hypnic-jerks” class=”external-link” data-event-click=”{"element":"ExternalLink","outgoingURL":"https://spiritofthebeehive.bandcamp.com/album/hypnic-jerks"}” href=”https://spiritofthebeehive.bandcamp.com/album/hypnic-jerks” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>Sleep jerks; if anything, it's even creepier and weirder. A song like the muscular 'Wrong Circle' feels like experiencing a bad high all over your body, a song where your eyes twitch and the pressure builds in your chest. Singing birds are juxtaposed with over-the-top synths, oceanic percussion and modulated vocals. The music flickers and clicks, like an old television set in a channel search setting or humming under a yellowed street light.
from our partners at https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/spirit-of-the-beehive-entertainment-death/