In the past few years it’s become more popular for musicians to use animal imagery in their art, lyrics and – as is the case with Sea of Bees – even in their name. Often the reasons for this bestiality are as clear as mud pie. What exactly does a ‘sea of bees’ pertain to? Leading lady Julie Ann Baezinger does not resemble a swarming mass of grotesque insects. In terms of sound, it suggests a sonic buzz of noise – a direction notably lacking from any of the act’s material hitherto. Added to the fact that Ms Bee has chosen to name her debut Songs for the Ravens and the project could easily be mistaken for an unnerving ode to the dark side. Who wants to listen to stinging killer bugs sing to a bird notoriously related to witch craft? Not me, that’s who.

The most (if not only) plausible explanation is that Sea of Bees is a pun bound up in context. The vocals on this album are layered. Julia likes to pretend her surname is Bee. Get it? As for the title – well, your guess is as good as mine. Whatever the point, it’s far less obvious than 2009’s Bee Eee Pee. Songs for the Ravens pulls at your heartstrings and recalls the lush orchestral shade of summers gone by – you won’t find anyone willing to apply the gothic tag to Sea of Bees. ‘Blind’ is the closest Songs for the Ravens gets to morbid, and that’s a gentle walk in the park compared to some.

Elsewhere a looming sense of atmosphere graces several songs, but ultimately the humdrum fails to descend. While the psychedelic ‘Marmalade’ makes a good first impression, its driven pace soon gives way to a sluggish backlog of instruments. Before you know it, you’re listening to a jam session by The Raveonettes, sans Ketamine. Likewise opener ‘Gnomes’ sets out like CocoRosie’s long lost cousin, bred on a diet of folk music and rye bread, but concludes with a dull thud. It’s a crooked venture into a fairly mundane album, and it makes the remainder all the more disappointing. Everything here threatens to launch into the stratosphere, but fails to get as far as the tree tops.

The songs where Baezinger doesn’t push too hard are the best. ‘Wizbot’ may not challenge the common aesthetic, but it carries a decent, emotionless and haunting tune. Similarly ‘Won’t Be Long’ channels the same deadpan sense of carelessness, and pours from the depths of the album like a siren from the cold sea. The highlight of Songs for the Ravens is the invaluable ‘Willis’, which lurches into innovative territory and proves Sea of Bees worthy of your hour.

Unfortunately these rare moments of glory do not conceal Songs for the Ravens biggest issue. It doesn’t go anywhere. It’s only memorable because it taunts you with a golden carrot and then throws ripened tomatoes at you. At least they’re not rotten, but that doesn’t make the experience any more enjoyable.