Now this is Italian rock. Step aside Måneskin, you useless, toothless Fleetwood Mac wannabes. Bee Bee Sea is the real deal and is worthy of a spotlight cast on the wannabe face of pop-rock horror. Time and Time is far and away the better side of the Italian rock market at the moment, with fine wares on offer compared to the mouldy and expired Rush!, a lucid nightmare already tucked away in a deep, dark compartment of the brain. Time and Time will be played, as its title would suggest, time and time again. There is good reason for that, and most of it comes from its blurring of cynical and genuine feelings when looking back on life, particularly for Bee Bee Sea, the work of Richard Hell.
He plants his flag of influence in Time and Time, a nearly five-minute rush which brings a rightful shine to the writings of Damiano Negrisoli. Waste no time, hit those strings and move on through. Garage rock fundamentals which are brought out louder and louder by challenging percussion, the instrumentals at odds and in touch with one another. Bee Bee Sea is heard to egg themselves on, testing one another to see where each member can go. Negrisoli is the glue which holds important pieces together, the core of his vocal explosion, and the nostalgic powers of his electrified voice part come as a nice play on the typically perverse attitude which comes from looking back on particularly better times. Harsh shoegaze, barely understandable under the rush of electronics and instrumental takings.
Still, it comes back onto this steady guitar work, and Time and Time enjoys the consistencies it finds there. None of that is possible without the work of drummer Andrea Onforio, whose constant demand for bigger and better from vocalist and guitarist Negrisoli steers Time and Time nicely. Giacomo Parisio strums their bass quietly and with brooding fashion in the background, never heard but noticeable if absent, as all solid bass players are. If that were not enough, B-Side Memories of Another Life is a delightful track which very nearly usurps the spotlight shining down on the title track. An incredible, rising guitar track which utilises chord shifts nicely and out of the blue. Twinkling highs presented in fine form over two tracks, it is as simple as that, but Time and Time is anything but.
Bee Bee Sea is strikingly adamant about how their sound should take hold and how long it takes to perfect it. Three years on from Day Ripper and their new track is ready to roll out. Only time can write a song that is really real, and this track from the days of Day Ripper, not quite primed for that album but too good to scrap, finally sees the light of day. Where next for Bee Bee Sea? Who knows. If their influences are still strong and engaged with, then the scatterings of electronic quality which feature throughout these two tracks will hopefully take them further and further. Three albums in the bag, two tracks for newcomers and fans alike to sink their teeth into. It wets the whistle, that’s for sure.
