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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Bubs CD breaks new ground

When the Beelzebubs sit down to record an album, they do it right.

Tufts' oldest and most famous a cappella group went out to North Brookfield, MA to record its 21st album at Long View Farm Studios. The fifteen members of the Bubs stood in the same studio where bands such as the Rolling Stones, Might Mighty Bosstones, Creed, Indigo Girls, and others have recorded albums. To give an idea of the studio's caliber, the Tracking Engineer the Bubs worked with, Fran Flannery, engineered Creed's multi-platinum CD a few years back.

On their new album, Code Red, the Bubs sample many different genres from Styx to Nelly to Frank Sinatra. Each song stands on its own, some better and some worse, because the album has no central motif. Senior Bub Henry Lee, the group's director of public relations, said they wanted each song to be enjoyable on its own right but the CD has no overall theme.

While the album is not united by theme, coherence is achieved technically. At the studio, the Bubs were able to synthesize their voices in order to make them sound almost exactly like the instruments they are trying to imitate. In fact, at some points, it becomes frustratingly difficult to tell if the sounds are really coming from the mouths of the singers and not from an instrument. It sounds as if the group is betraying a cappella, but according to the liner notes, the album is merely pushing the bounds of the genre.

On the inside cover, the disclaimer reads: "Every sound on this recording was created solely by [the Bubs'] fifteen mouths." But the synthesized effects make the Bubs' voices sound so similar the instruments they are attempting to imitate that the album indirectly raises debate over what actually constitutes "a cappella," and perhaps what the future direction of the a cappella genre will be.

The album kicks off with "Mr. Roboto," an old Styx classic. During the song's opening moments I could not help but again glance at the liner notes, verifying the lack of real instruments in the recording of the song. The quality of the sounds produced by the Bubs makes it very hard to believe that real instruments were not being used.

"Shining Star" is a solid second track, one which underscores the sheer variety of the song selection on this album. Nothing says eclectic quite like following a Styx song with a cover of an Earth, Wind & Fire classic.

The Bubs' version of Bush's "Machinehead" lacks the intensity of the original, a result of the overtly and overly technical quality of the Bubs' sound on this album. Had the Bubs perhaps approached the song with the goal of creating their own interpretation, rather than their imitation of the original -- electronic synthesizers and all -- a more substantial track might have emerged.

Nelly's "Hot in Here" was a fun cover of an intrinsically fun song. Nonetheless, just as in the case of "Machinehead," I would have rather heard Nelly than an imitation, albeit a very good one, of the instruments that provided the backbone of the original track. Hearing this track and "Machinehead" back to back especially underscored the bold step made by the Bubs in this album, moving away from a more traditional a cappella sound to an overtly contrived sound.

That said, "Crazy Train" had a great opening and yielded the album's coolest moment: the flawless replication of the song's great guitar intro. The recreation of this intro best exemplified that which is most exciting about the new direction taken by the Bubs. In this section, the Bubs challenge and scintillate with their abilities of personal sound manipulation.

"Take Me Home", by Phil Collins, was very touching, and the album's most tender moment. And "Sell Out," Reel Big Fish's first single, was a nostalgic cover that fully captures the festive and sarcastic atmosphere of the original.

"You should be dancing" was likewise a light-hearted and high-energy cover of the Bee Gees' song. It was a great ending song, providing a sense of resolution to the thematically-scattered album. Though the Bubs took a dramatic move in striving for this new a cappella sound, to inconsistent effectiveness, this closing track ultimately sums up the general feel of the album.

As an a cappella group, the Bubs are clearly masters of their art, which they demonstrate on this album by creating some of the most accurate a cappella covers. This leads to something that is very entertaining to listen to, but at the same time, by stressing imitation, the Bubs give up some of the creative freedom they could use to make their covers their own.

The Beelzebub's new CD, Code Red, is now available at the Tufts Bookstore.