Today we have our second Song of the Day from Birmingham, this one in AL, not UK. This is the Birmingham to which Lynyrd Skynyrd referred when they said “in Birmingham they love the governor,” though I’m not sure why Birminghamians loved him more than folks in, say, Montgomery, which is where the capital is located. Birmingham is famous for the giant cast-iron statue of a pantsless Vulcan who is holding aloft a popsicle while mooning the aftward suburbs. That has nothing to do with today’s song, but I thought you should know about it.

“Here Comes My Love” starts with an echoing rockabilly riff, then softens it with 60’s psychedelic haziness, giving the track a Buffalo Springfield-ish vibe, and shifting back to rootsy twanging for the solos. It’s an attention-grabbing effect, one that foils The Music Journalist’s desire to neatly pigeonhole every song into a definable genre. The arrangement is stark, the guitar and voice prominent and everything else in the shadowy background. I’m obligated to throw in at least one Obscure Reference, so I’ll say that “Here Comes My Love” sounds like what Uncle Tupelo could have been if Jeff Tweedy wasn’t an ass (yeah, I’m a Jay Farrar guy). At any rate, this song jumped out at me. There’s good musicianship at play here, and excellent songwriting. Pro tip: Listen for the bars being counted during the solos.

Beegles is (are?) Chris Seifert (guitar), Nathan Coker (guitar), Austin Walley (bass), and Sam Thomason (drums). All four of the guys sing. “Here Comes My Love” was written and sung by Nathan. According to the bio on their Facebook page, the band members “started jamming together with the intention of writing country and western music. The collaboration quickly strayed from that goal and developed a sound reminiscent of 60s pop, à la Beach Boys and The Kinks, flavoured by intricately layered guitars and modern grooves with all four members contributing lyrics and harmonies.”

“Here Comes My Love” is from the three-song EP, Medicine – Demo. Each of the tracks is sung by a different vocalist. Bassist Austin Walley was kind enough to give me some additional background on the group and the EP: “What sets Beegles apart is that everyone contributes songs and harmonies. All of us are college-aged goofballs who have always been in thrashy garage rock bands, and with Beegles we are trying to push ourselves to make something challenging and pretty while maintaining that rock and roll soul we all cherish. The Beegles’ Medicine – Demo is a sampler of the different voices and songwriting styles that constitute this larger cohesive sound that we are trying to make.”

Beegles may have a slight identification problem. There is an Australian group called The Beegles, and at least five groups on Bandcamp using some variation of “Beagle.” Oh well. It seems to be a common issue these days; all of the good names were taken a long time ago.

You can help support deserving independent musicians like Beegles by visiting their Bandcamp page and downloading your favorite track(s). And be sure to follow Beegles on Facebook and Instagram. And if you’re ever in Birmingham, be sure to look up Vulcan.