Dust Bunnies

Bettie Serveert: Carol Van Dijk (vocals, guitar); Peter Visser (guitar); Herman Bunskoeke (bass); Berend Dubbe (drums). Recorded at Bearsville Studios, Woodstock, New York in August 1996. With its third album, the Dutch foursome Bettie Serveert continues an evolution begun with 1993's Palomine, still holding on to the naive note of yearning that has contributed to the band's appeal from the start. There is an underlying warmth to Dust Bunnies as well as a palpable sense that the band is having fun, which offsets the haunting, melancholy edge and spareness of the music. The band seems willing to reveal more here than in the past, with up-front, unguarded vocals and emotionally charged lyrics. The deliciously druggy "Sugar The Pill," with its lazy guitars and serenely casual vocals, brings to mind the Velvet Underground. The solid, mature musical base beneath every song, and the radiance of lead singer Carol van Dijk's velvety alto, together make Bettie Serveert feel both timeless and quintessentially modern.