  Julie Ann Bee (referred to by most everyone as, simply,"Jules") is an epically rare musician who has crafted Songs For The Ravens, her first LP and follow-up to Sea of Bees' debut Bee Eee Pee EP, with the kind of intuitive knowing and organic talent that defies logic and defines great artists. The strength, innocence, honesty and purity of intention that flows throughout all 12 tracks manifests itself compositionally and technically-most immediately with the laser beam pull of Jules' captivating voice. She's so versatile, not only as a vocalist but as a songwriter, that Songs For The Ravens finds her masterfully navigating Americana-tinged stompers ("Sidepain"), heavy, trotting expanses ("Marmalade"), soaring harmonic rock sorrow ("Wizbot") and keyboard-brightened musings ("Willis"). Aside from the drums and a few other instrumental lines, Jules wrote and played every single bit of the entire album-including handheld percussion, glockenspiel, guitar, bass, keys, marimba and slide. Many of the tracks on the record are first or second takes, with nothing edited in; no screw-ups to hide. These facts, understandably, blew publisher of Tape Op Magazine and producer John Baccigaluppi's mind. John met Jules when she was at his studio, The Hangar-she was singing in a room, he heard her in the hall, and immediately stopped to see who it was. "She's incredibly talented and intuitive in a way that I've only seen in a small handful of musicians," John, who has worked with countless thousands, explains. Shortly after meeting, John showed Jules how to use the recording software ProTools in a B-room of the studio, and by day's end, she had recorded the entirety of the five-song Bee Eee Pee. The recording of Songs For The Ravens was a different story, being a completely fleshed-out work that builds upon the stellar songs Jules started with. This is a record that will soothe your broken heart, commiserate with you when you're angry, befriend you when you're lonely and celebrate life with you through the pure joy of its being. Longing is expressed with hope; sadness with understanding. Its scope, intensity and solidity would be considered stunning for any weathered artist; it's simply astounding here. Get ready to hear a lot from and about Sea of Bees from here on out. It's her time.
"I like sad music, though I haven’t really listened to much of it in the past couple years—mainly because it hasn’t fit my mood … plus a lot of it is boring. Then I was introduced to Julie Baenziger. 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 … wait, 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. But 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 it is truly gorgeous. 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 "There’s something of the Scandinavian about Julie Baenziger and her one-woman band, Sea of Bees, which may come as a surprise to this Californian native but I can assure her that it’s a compliment. Perhaps it’s the ethereal quality to her voice or her penchant for the deep twinkly sound that our European cousins do so well or the fact that her voice on Songs for the Ravens has a distinct twang of a more laidback Nina Persson. Whatever it is, it works. While this is Baenziger’s debut full-length record it was the recording of her EP ‘Bee Eee Pee’ which turned her into something of a legend when it was revealed that the five-track was recorded a mere 24 hours after Baenziger was shown how to use recording software, ProTools, by producer John Baccigaluppi. ‘Bee Eee Pee’ was so beloved because of its low production and high emotion factor and those qualities have only been expanded on for Songs for the Ravens. The record projects itself as a hybrid of tunes all tied together via the lazy warmness of Baenziger’s voice. “Gnomes” kicks it all off with a wail, backed by a surfy drumbeat while “Skinnybone” drifts along with lilting vocals alongside the echo of an organ and lyrical musings on wanting to ‘hug you day and night’. “Marmalade” has a much darker and deeper beat as does “Sidepain” with its talk of whisky-drinking and broken hearts, which is what keeps this record so interesting and moreish as you witness the tracks tumble between dark and light. Songs for the Ravens is, I suspect much like it’s author, sweet and complex and the debut album that fans of her EP will be have been waiting for." NIKKI DODDS, For Folks Sake
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