If anything, Bee Hives is the connective tissue between their two proper albums, a cohesion of the former's dulcet eight-track experiments and the latter's wistful melodies. Leslie Feist sings lead vocals on "Lover's Spit," a rerecorded version of a track on You Forgot It in People that opens with spare piano and is even more tugging than the original. BSS contributor Emily Haines soft-pedals her way through the airy "Backyards," adding to the serenity created by the unlikely pairing of synthesizers and banjo. All of the songs, particularly the laid-back electro-acoustic "Marketfresh" and the programmed pulse of "hHallmark," are a smooth counterpoint to the guitar rock that tempered the last album.