Like Bees

iTunes Review

Some people may have caught on to the well-kept secret that is Dirty on Purpose by hearing their songs on the TV show, “Laguna Beach.” Whatever. They make music too beautiful to be ignored, and their debut album, Hallelujah Sirens, was criminally under-appreciated. The Brooklyn quartet (with occasional guests) gets stronger with each release, crafting guitar-driven songs with perfect yin and yang, at one turn gently lifting spirits to rare heights and in the next creating a maelstrom of sound that propels one’s physical being to a whirling dervish fervor. On “Audience in the Room,” a great buzz of shoe-gaze guitars wraps itself around drummer/vocalist Doug Marvin’s breathless singing in a brilliant juxtaposition of heavy and light, and on “Send Me an Angel” (yes, remember Australia’s Real Life?) the guys inject a tired new wave tune with an electrifying energy. Title track “Like Bees” is as light as air, with papery female vocals and reedy guitars, and the band toys with atmospherics on the sprawling “Airshow Disaster.” Digital Only, Like Bees weighs in at nearly 25 minutes on the five new tracks alone, and features bonus material such as the snappy demo of “Audience,” and live versions of songs from previous releases.