Honey In The Hive

Listening to the Bigger Lovers, it's hard not to be coaxed into worn {guitar pop} superlatives (jangle, {power pop}, etc.). It's also hard not to get caught up in trainspotting the group's sublime ancestry -- the way, for instance, the splashy, expansive Emmanuelle seems to draw equally on both Cheap Trick and Move-era Jeff Lynne. Or the way the cascading, chiming guitar figures often call to mind the Soft Boys' Kimberley Rew and the Smiths' Johnny Marr. Or the Robin Zander-meets-Robyn Hitchcock vocals throughout the album. The Bigger Lovers seem to have a bit more going for them than a lot of {power pop} upstarts, however, and (like Big Star and Cheap Trick before them) the Philadelphia group is able to sublimate their cheeky Anglo-pop influences into something wholly their own. Most importantly, there's a surfeit of sugar-coated, prickly skin-inducing hooks on the aptly named Honey in the Hive. Bought Your Ghost is splashy, breathless {power pop}, while the flippant {Brit-psych} verses of Half Richard's are soon blown aside by the chorus' euphoric guitar crunch and handclaps. Minivan Blues is an eerily dead-on approximation of post-Pet Sounds Beach Boys. Make Your Day is full of chiming, rolling guitar-work and ba-ba-ba harmonies, while Bought Your Ghost merits a second mention, if only to reinforce that it's three minutes of {power pop} perfection packed with melodic guitar bite, a swooning chorus, and stirring lyrics. The Bigger Lovers' approach to the well-travelled {power pop} landscape is complex enough to set them apart from the pack, yet full of catchy immediacy. ~ Erik Hage, All Music Guide