Sunshine Hit Me

Largely recorded in a shed in the Isle Of Wight at the turn of the millennium, the debut album from The Bees (or A Band Of Bees for US audiences) still radiates a wonderful, homespun charm. Not that these songs sound ramshackle of half-baked. A crate-diggers’ enthusiasm and appetite is clearly at work as the band (still at this point consisting of multi-instrumentalists Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher) shuffle through retro genres and sounds with ease and loving care. Like a less arty Beta Band, or more soulful Beck, they move from dusty funk, tropicalia, dub, frazzled psychedelic pop and more while still retaining their own, easygoing personality and charm. A cover of Os Mutantes’ “A Minha Menina” might have initially won them widespread recognition but there is plenty more here to dive into and fall in love with.