Portland is pumped for Sea Of Bees, plus a new video!!

"Mark your calendars now because Songs for the Ravens, the debut full-length album from Sea of Bees, comes out on June 1, and it is, without a doubt, fucking fantastic. Following up last year's The Bee Eee Pee EP, Sea of Bees—the project of Central Valley's Julie Baenziger—have crafted a haunting, ravishing record that contains infinitely sumptuous layers. Baenziger's voice ranges from a child's meow to a wise old woman's incantations, while the songs' gorgeously bone-chilling backdrops feel like a sturdy house being restored to its former beauty after years of neglect—there's some dust and rot and maybe some overgrown vines creeping their way up the walls, but the foundation and frame are as strong as ever. Songs for the Ravens is bound to be one of this year's finest records; as soon as you hear it you're not going to be able to shake it." NED LANNAMANN, PORTLAND MERCURY

"Sea of Bees makes me wish I was sad. Her latest LP Songs For the Ravens (out June 1 on Crossbill Records) centers around that haunting voice, but there’s much more to it. The songs are filled with odd arrangements and intricate layers, and Baenziger played most of the instruments herself. Gorgeous. (This is her debut?!)

Well, actually, Sea of Bees released the Bee Eee Pee last year (recorded in one day after getting a quick ProTools lesson from producer and Tape Op publisher John Baccigaluppi). And while many of Baenziger’s performances feature nothing but her and a guitar, Songs For the Ravens is full-on, with an arsenal of glockenspiel, slide, marimba and keys. You might not even notice all that when you hear her vocal register, which lies somewhere between that of Björk and Leigh Nash … I know, too good to be true. And you don’t even have to be sad to enjoy the songs, a contemplative mood on a gray Portland day would serve as a perfect backdrop." MARK LORE, THE DAYS OF LORE