BMX Bandits - Bee Stings

Bee Stings is the BMX Bandits 15th album, and you really get the feeling that now would be a good time to stop. Songs merge aimlessly into one another, the pop musings within are tedious and tired, and the musical arrangements are fantastically irritating. Opener Take Me To Heaven limps out of the speakers, and much of what follows is little better. New vocalist Rachel Mackenzie adds a new dimension to their sound but her voice fails to harmonise with Duglas T. Stewart's. As such, Bee Stings is grating despite being painfully timid in its inoffensiveness and, though there are passing attempts at humour, none of it convinces. Lyrically, the emotional touchstones are familiar but the record fails to draw the listener in even after repeated listening. Maybe it's time the Bandits got on their bikes. [Neal Parsons]