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Bees and Bees and Bees

by Brandi Ediss

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C Scott Davis
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C Scott Davis It's hard to choose a favourite, since I love every song, but these lyrics just get me every time. Favorite track: The Sweetest Words.
jounster
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jounster Sweet textures and beautiful, understated vocal harmonies. Intimate in a Sufjan Stevens way, irreverent in a Roches way, and relatable in an Everywoman way. Favorite track: Chicago.
king radio
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king radio Brandi Ediss' debut album stands with other debut masterpieces by the La's, Nick Drake, Elvis Costello, Liz Phair, Jonathan Richman, etc. in that it is simply unbelievable a songwriter can seemingly appear out of nowhere with a fully formed mastery of songwriting and a catalog deep enough to complete an album full of songs that each could be on a greatest hits album. Favorite track: I Didn't Try.
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1.
Inbetween the time that I lay down and I fall asleep I can hear the things that you have said to me Buzzing 'round my head, it's just like bees and bees and bees You're the queen and I'm working day and night to say unseen Out of reach and out of sight A swarm of mean, circling round my bed It's just like bees and bees and bees And I'll never follow you to your hive 'Cause I'm not sure that I would survive And all the trees that I am barking up are all wrong And I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get stung And I'll never follow you to your hive 'Cause I'm not sure that I would survive And all the trees that I am barking up are all wrong And I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get stung Inbetween the time that I lay down and I fall asleep I can hear the things that you have said to me Buzzing 'round my head, it's just like bees and bees and bees
2.
Well, I’ve got a way of unraveling When there’s too much or nothing to do And there is a whole lot of crazy that you’re subjected to List all of the things that’ll go wrong Catastrophes all in my head Excuses are made but before long You make me get up and out of bed And by the end of the day i’m fine I'm frozen in place when you find me Defeated before I've begun But no matter the problem or question, you say That's an easy one Well, I've got a brain built for worry But you've got a way to get through I ask how you know I'll be okay, and you say Well, that's easy, too If you count to three, I'll be there with you You can count on me to take care of you Just remember these words I said to you: If you think it's gonna be great, it's gonna be great, it's gonna be great And if you think it's gonna be great, it's gonna be great, it's gonna be great If you think it's gonna be great, it's gonna be great, it's gonna be great And if you think it's gonna be great, it's gonna be great, it's gonna be great And by the end of the day, I'm fine
3.
Chicago 03:54
The song I wrote Before Chicago was buried in snow Was so much happier, and now I don't know Why I thought I could sing it to you And the winter's cold I was outside and I was shoveling snow My hands were frozen, and I walked all alone Down the icy sidewalk home The city feels new again, but not in a good way I still get lost now and then. I haven't been here too long and You gave me something to look forward to Something to look forward to, but now it's just me again And another day Another week is over and I'd say It has been wasted in my living room In my kitchen and my bed There's a world out there I've always known it but I couldn't bear To be a part of it, I'll just stay here With the blankets over my head The city feels new again, but not in a good way I feel far from all my friends, I feel like I'm disappearing And it gets old Trudging, tripping over tree roots My toes are cold Still haven't gotten snowboots From what I'm told It ain't gettin' any better anytime soon The city feels new again, but not in a good way And now I just don't know when Chicago will feel like home again 'Cause I learned to see this town through you Now I guess I'll have to start brand new You gave me something to look forward to
4.
Robot Heart 02:00
You have given me everything I could want You have given me everything I could need You gave me love and all the stars from above You gave me the moon and the sun But I just couldn't love you I'm not known for complaining about always being alone but it is so frustrating to have no one to call my own And you gave me love and all the stars from above You gave me the moon and the sun But I just couldn't love you And I wish I could see all those things you apparently saw in me And I wish I could be the one for you, but you're not the one for me Maybe I'm just a robot walking 'round in human skin Or maybe I'm just broken and could not let you in 'Cause you gave me love and all the stars from above You gave me the moon and the sun God, tell me why couldn't I just love you
5.
I Didn't Try 03:04
By now, I could've had my shit together, if I'd only tried I could've had a house and a car and a cat and a baby And a boy who would love me, maybe, but I didn't try No, I didn't try hard enough for it By now, I could've had my shit together, if I'd only tried I could've had a job and a dog and a place in the city And a boy who would call me pretty, but I didn't try No, I didn't try hard enough for it I never thought that I would be this old with no clue where to go I never thought that it'd be me who was still floundering So scared of life, scared of everything, so good at hiding from the world Dragging my feet, scraping my knees By now, I could've had my shit together, if I'd only tried I could've had the life that I wanted, the way that it should be But instead, I am stuck with maybes, 'cause I didn't try No, I didn't try I'm too scared to try No, I didn't try hard enough for it
6.
Little Tiny 04:35
The sunrise in the morning comes before I’ve even gotten into bed And the light pours through my window but the rain is coming down inside my head And I’ve gotten pretty tired of all these beatings that I take And it never seems to let up when I’m dreaming or when I’m awake And I’ve never been small, but I feel little tiny all the time I don't know who I could call in this town in the middle of the night If my car broke down or I was locked out of my house If I needed to hear someone say hello And I’ve done it to myself, I’ve made sure I will always be alone And I think that I can see you from my window, and I think I hear you call But I go and get my toolbox and my trowel and I build another wall Then I go back to my bed and I plug my ears without another look And I throw back all the people who've never asked to be let off the hook And I’ve never been small, but I feel little tiny all the time I don't know who I could call in this town in the middle of the night If my car broke down or I was locked out of my house If I needed to hear someone say hello And I’ve done it to myself, I’ve made sure I will always be alone And all kidding aside, in a hundred different ways I’m the punchline once again. I am all of the clichés And I’ve tried and I’ve tried to use the words you say To fix my broken mind, to try and be okay But still too often I find, all the ridicule replays In the quietest of times, in the sounds of all my days It’s the whistling of the old radiator in the living room And the sound of kitten paws across the floor It’s the humming of the traffic out my window, but no knocking at the door It’s the ticking of the clock that I’m sure is getting faster And the feeling that I’ve written this song before It’s the humming of the traffic out my window, but no knocking at the door
7.
Happy Days 04:45
Seen with one eye open, there's a world that is full of light It's brilliant and shining in color and black and white But as I look ahead now, all is seen through a lens of fear My focus is narrow, my vision is so unclear And I've grown colder each year I've grown older And there's no sign of slowing down or changing my ways And I'm always with my camera, but I'm never in the frame And my life is full of other people's happy days In the dappled sunshine, in the fields of yellow-green You look the loveliest that I have ever seen And on the darkest stages, where a single light shines down The whole room starts smiling whenever you make a sound And I'll stand before you as they adore you And I'll save that for you, this moment of joy and of grace And I'm right in front of everyone, but you'll never see my face And my life is full of other people's happy days And my life has a color cast The lighting is all wrong I feel just like a Polaroid that someone shook too long And every moment, every day's composed and framed just so And I perfect my life away with nothing much to show Stacks of pictures on the floor Ones you'll hang in your living room by the door And they'll tell the story of the way that your life unfurled I'll deliver them to you in a neat little package of happy proof That you've been here and you've done this And you'll live on in this little world But I'll watch as time flies, I'll stand on sidelines And I'll find these goldmines but I'll give them away And you'll take them in your open arms and you'll put 'em on display And I'll live my life through other people's happy days
8.
This is my stupid boyfriend, he's always doing things for me He's smart and sweet and clever, he reads and writes me poetry He sends me flowers at work, he'd save my kitten from a tree I tell him I'm just a jerk, but he refuses to see This is my stupid boyfriend, I don't know how to make him go I say this probably should end, but he's a little bit slow I can't imagine just why, but he has fallen hard for me Don't wanna make him cry, but this is gonna end bad Oh, bad Badly Uh huh You know what they say That you can't love anyone if you don't love yourself Well, that's a cliche, but it turns out that's true...but He won't walk away No, he won't walk away He won't walk away This is my stupid boyfriend, he leaves a message everyday He sends me exes and ohs, I never know what to say He tells me that he loves me and that one day I'll believe him But I'm so self-defeating and I won't let myself win Oh, win No, I won't win...but He won't walk away No, he won't walk away He won't walk away He won't walk away No, he won't walk away He won't walk away (Won't let myself win) He won't walk away No, he won't walk away He won't walk away (Might let myself win) He won't walk away No, he won't walk away He won't walk away (I'll let myself win) He won't walk away No, he won't walk away He won't walk away I love my stupid boyfriend
9.
I had such big plans for me, just like Emily I'd leave my small town and I'd move to the big city And it would be a victory, a victory for me 'Cause I thought I could change my whole life with the scenery So I got in my car, drove halfway cross the country I brought my best friend but I lost her along the way As we slid in the blizzard, the snow on the highway I didn't believe her when she said I was doing okay I'd done everything right, so I thought, 'til that night I'd made all of my plans, I was cautious But we'd argue and fight all in silence My mind replaced all of my winnings with losses 'Cause the sweetest words, they ricochet But the cruelest thoughts sink down all the way Oh the sweetest words, they ricochet But the cruelest thoughts sink down all the way So I started my job, it was just temporary While I crested the hill I'd been on for some time And I worked and I tried and I cared and I waited The more that I did, the more I started falling behind And I thought of my family back home, they don't visit But I talk to them every few days on the phone And sometimes I pretend that there's more, but there isn't They have no idea how much time I've been spending alone And I guess that I do some things well, I can't tell But some people, they smile when they see 'em If they say a kind word, it goes almost unheard 'Cause I just can't make myself believe them 'Cause the sweetest words, they ricochet But the cruelest thoughts sink down all the way Oh the sweetest words, they ricochet But the cruelest thoughts sink down all the way And the friends that I made, I had started avoiding And I just got bigger while my life stayed small It's been so many years since the snow on the highway But when I look at my life, it seems no time has passed by at all I'd done everything right all the days of my life But got in my own way and stayed cautious And I argue and fight with myself, 'cause my mind Replaced all of my winnings with losses 'Cause the sweetest words, they ricochet But the cruelest thoughts sink down all the way Oh the sweetest words, they ricochet But the cruelest thoughts sink down all the way
10.
I'll keep you warm in the winter Like a soft knitted scarf around your neck I will wrap myself around you, I will kiss your frozen cheek Trouble is, I haven't found you, but if you find me, I will keep I'll keep you cool in the summer Like a run through the sprinklers in your yard I will be the one you lean to when you're reeling from the heat Trouble is, I haven't seen you, but if you see me, I will keep I'll keep you growing in the springtime And I'll help you shed your old leaves in the fall I'll be careful not to let you lose the ground beneath your feet Trouble is, I have not met you, but if you meet me If you meet me If you meet me I will keep
11.
You make me feel so silly You make me feel so blind You make me feel so foolish But I guess I don't mind. And you're too far away most of the time No, you don't get to stay most of the time It'd take a day of driving It would take so much more To get me any closer So why do I adore you It's in the clicks of shutters And in the clacks of keys It's in your freckled shoulders And your elbows and your knees And the way they bend and curl around me I feel these things too deeply I'm always such a mess But you make me feel so fearless So I don't mind I guess But you're too far away most of the time No, you don't get to stay most of the time It'd take a day of driving It would take so much more To get me any closer So why do I adore you It's in the clicks of shutters And in the clacks of keys It's in your freckled shoulders And your elbows and your knees And the way they bend and curl around me And the way they bend and curl around me
12.
Linoleum 02:54
I can't remember how it started I only know that it was always there I'd been let down and brokenhearted A winner in a game of solitaire But suddenly, when we were talking It seemed that we, we couldn't let it end A thousand miles you would be walking A trust fall from the Grand Canyon and Now I know you're the only one Oh, I'm so glad we've found this linoleum I didn't know just what I wanted I'd been alright just being on my own I lived a life so unencumbered And things like love were a complete unknown But here's a thing that I've been thinking When I'm with you, it all just seems so clear Your arms around me in the morning Your sweetest voice that's singing in my ear And now I know you're the only one Oh, I'm so glad we've found this linoleum Something's happened that can't be undone Oh, I'm so glad we've found this linoleum Oh and, I believe that you were made In some kind of factory With a checked-off list of all the things That they knew that I would need Then they told you 'bout my locked-up heart And they gave to you the key It's the only way that I can make some sense of you and me And now I know you're the only one Oh, I'm so glad we landed on linoleum Something's happened that can't be undone Oh, I'm so glad we've found this linoleum

about

This album has it all! You want mid-20s existential crises? We've got that! You want tiny acoustic ballads that will destroy you? We've got *that!* You want wry humor, joy, exuberance and love? We've got that, too! Thoughtful songwriting, glockenspiels, handclaps, tiny orchestras you can fit in the palm of your hand? Bees and Bees and Bees is the record for you.

credits

released May 1, 2020

All songs ©2020 Brandi Ediss/Easy Criers Club (ASCAP); "Count to Three" was co-written by Frank Padellaro, ©2020 Frank Padellaro/10 Minute Monkey Music (BMI).

Produced by Frank Padellaro and Brandi Ediss with Ken Maiuri. "Happy Days" produced by Brandi Ediss.

Recorded by Jim Weeks and Frank Padellaro at Cloudcuckooland, Cres-cen Studio B, Sweet Friend Industries, and Click Workspace in Northampton, MA. "Happy Days" is a long-distance collaboration recorded in Chicago, IL, Boston, MA, and Atlanta, GA.

Mixed by Mark Alan Miller at Sonelab in Easthampton, MA. "Happy Days" mixed by Lee Wiggins in Atlanta, GA. "Chicago" mixed by Mark Alan Miller and Frank Padellaro.

Mastered by TW Walsh.

String quartet for "I'll Keep You Warm" arranged by Dave Trenholm. Tiny Orchestra for "Chicago" arranged by Dave Trenholm with Brandi Ediss and Frank Padellaro.

Additional (unsolicited) vocals by Mewie and Sophie.

Photography and art design by Brandi Ediss.
Artist photo (CD back cover) by Ravi Gadad.

===================================
See individual tracks for song-specific credits!
===================================

Huge thanks and big hugs to everyone who lent their talent, friendship, encouragement, and, perhaps most importantly, patience to help me make this record, especially Frank Padellaro, Ken Maiuri, Jim Weeks, Dave Trenholm, Paul Pelis, Chris Devine, Stephen Katz, Aaron Lakota, Joel Meginsky, Paul Kochanski, Christopher Haynes, Lee Wiggins, John Fremer III, Bill Shaouy, Keith Klingensmith, Halley Cornell, Matt Brown, Jeff Jensen, Joel Boyea, Patrick Timmons, Greg Saulmon, Dave Hayes, Mark Alan Miller, TW Walsh, Dan Richardson, Joe Pernice, Elizabeth Mercer, Sara Pellerin, Liz Kies, Meg Deans, Elisabeth Geier, Lara Long, Ravi Gadad, Joey Odorisio, Joanie Reilly, Rob Keller, and so many other sweet friends. Love to my family, especially my dad, who would've gotten a real kick out of this. Theme Music fam, I literally would not have even considered making this (or any) album without you. xoxo forever.

Frank, I can never thank you enough. La la la, linoleum.

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Brandi Ediss Northampton, Massachusetts

Rhymes with lettuce.

"Lush, lovely, smart and compelling start to finish." -Chris Collingwood (Fountains of Wayne/Look Park)

“This is really good. I’m sold.” -A.C. Newman (The New Pornographers)

“What a gorgeous and deceptively effortless-sounding collection of perfect songs.” -Philip B. Price (Winterpills)
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