Songs From the Beehive‘s nearly 80-minute running time is split into measured, warm house tracks that don’t climb into Earth-rattling climaxes of any kind. Not unlike Mike Shannon’s deeply affecting but nonchalant Possible Conclusions to Stories That Never End, this restraint is precise and deliberate. German producers Move D & Benjamin Brunn casually augment their efforts with little more than miniature flickers of sound—breathy surges dance around the complicated percussive throb of “Velvet Paws”, “Honey” grows fat with rubbery grooves, and “Mothercorn”, with its comparatively pronounced synths, is rife with echoes and wobbly far-corner countermelodies. An appreciation for this subtlety may only develop after a second or third careful listen, particularly if you like your electronic music to be more immediate, or more overtly decorative. Sure, “Come In” is a serving of atmospheric magnificence—all knocks and polished, mechanic fluttering—but most of Songs From the Beehive‘s elegance is just under its surface, and discovering it usually takes a little patience.

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