Seattle, Not So Dreary After All

It is funny to think that Beat Connection, an electric-pop duo from Seattle, make music that sounds as if it is hundreds of miles away from the rain and perpetual overcast of the “Bye and Bye” state. Their album Product 3 sounds as if it sprung forth from a fissure in Laurel Canyon or some laid back band in Southern California, but this is an unexpected album from an equally unpredictable band.

One of the most surprising and enjoyable aspects of this record is how each song varies from one to the other. The record begins on one note and as it progresses, about halfway through, the album appears to take on an entirely different tone. The first half of the record moves a bit faster and each song is more buoyant than the next, as if it is preparing the listener for a final cheerful and dance heavy conclusion.

The mood changes, however, beginning with the song “Ad Space.” This song is slightly slower, but it sounds as if it has meshed with the manipulated music of Hans Zimmer from a Tarantino movie and combined with the vocals of TV On The Radio. “Reality Television,” the eighth song on the record, begins like some of the earlier songs, before it slowly reins in all the other instruments and sounds to produce what sound like tribal drums.

The album continues on and each song mutates into another. Very little time seems to pass, despite the fact that the playing times of these songs sit between three and nearly five minutes. The music fades almost as soon as it begins.

With its sunny and uplifting rhythms that sound as if they have been plucked from an 80’s pop record or even from a beat from one of the many songs on Top 40, there is no doubt that Beat Connection’s album Product 3 is an enjoyable listen.