Beezus are one of many indie-pop treasures to emerge from Champaign/Urbana, IL without a great deal of attention -- which is truly a shame, as the catchy and well-developed Cub-meets-Tsunami sound of
Breakfast Was Weird is more competent than that of a lot of other, higher-profile rock bands, and 1997's
Lives of the Saints is even better.
Breakfast's songs are relatively complex, always focused and have a keen sense of post-punk and indie-pop conventions, as well as a charming and appealing sense of melody. The purity and consistency of the band's sound is equally valuable, with the sort of definitive tone that asks to be reissued and loved by obscurists years after its scene has passed. Despite
Beezus' low profile (and less-than-incredible band and album names),
Breakfast Was Weird is a very worthwhile record, ready to be filed alongside many of Simple Machines' best releases.
Lives of the Saints, amazingly, takes a large step forward. ~ Nitsuh Abebe