CD Review
Artist: Ghost Bees
Title: Tasseomancy
Label: Youth Club Records
Publicity: Killbeat Music
Released: April 15^th 2008 

4 Stars

Reviewed By: Kindah Mardam Bey 

From the debut EP of Ghost Bees, it is easy to predict that twin sisters Romy & Sari have a rich and textured future with their synchronized harmonies, pithy poetic lyrics and maudlin approach. Step into the mind of Edgar Allan Poe, The Brothers Grimm, or Tim Burton, and Tasseomancy might be the soundtrack to their thoughts. The Nova Scotia twins have named themselves Ghost Bees, with the album Tasseomancy named after the antediluvian art of prediction through tea leaves. Their songs are robust with images of dark and ironic fairytales; like the bitter taste of a strong tea but the sweetness of berries tempering the sipping of it.

Think of the feeling you get when you hear Sarah McLachlan's ‘Building A Mystery' or something out of the Tori Amos magical vault and you have an idea of how Ghost Bees' mixture of imaginary and surreal will mystically coagulate into your thoughts. Tasseomancy is a great debut EP, showing their range and distinct (unified) voice. Most of this album would make a great soundtrack to something out of Pan's Labyrinth or a film equally as dark and numinous.  

Ghost Bees uses the mandolin, violin and guitar in subtle and important ways, evoking images of the past so painted with colour you might remember history as a beautifully constructed oil painting. What was most pleasing about the playful and gentle music was that it was paired with vocals that went against the grain and were not soft and ethereal sounding. In fact the vocals are grounded in that East Coast storytelling fashion where songs have to relay something; and in this case, the vocals are relaying a highly poeticized version of a story best suited to the intro ‘once upon a time.' The lack of frills to the singing and Enya-like quality easy to pair with such music, is unabashedly poignant, which makes the songs have a great buoyancy and playful all-knowing approach to them. I can't say Ghost Bees will be ‘the next big thing,' but they most certainly will cultivate a fringe popularity that will grow and permeate its society.
 

Vampires Of The West Coast
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Tasseomancy
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