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[Editorial note: Please welcome the newest contributing author to N2Notes.com, Howard. His bio is available on the Authors page and you can visit his personal website at www.thewebpen.net.]
If it’s true that everything runs in twenty-year cycles then The Bird And The Bee are jumping the 60’s-revival gun a bit on their [tag]debut[/tag] album, but that’s alright because in ten years they have the bragging rights to claim themselves as ‘[tag]pioneers[/tag]’. What really matters though is that these two, Inara George (the bird) and Greg Kurstin (the bee), have recorded one of the finest [tag]quirky[/tag]/[tag]psychedelic[/tag] pop albums in years. They are [tag]Portishead[/tag] filtered through an acid-trip in a late-60’s lounge. The entire album is a complete throw back and creates an atmosphere of [tag]groovy[/tag] daisies, bell bottoms and free love.

The hook here is Inara’s vocals which the band not only wisely bring to the forefront, but also use as an instrument with many la’s, bop’s and other nonsensical lyrics to round out the songs. This has the benefit of making the songs instantly [tag]singable[/tag] and even allows them to write a song called, “La La La”. There will be the inevitable comparisons to late-career [tag]Everything But The Girl[/tag], which are easily made; however, the difference here is mood. The Bird And The Bee sound happy even when Inara is lamenting she has a broken heart. You wouldn’t hear a French horn and other brass in an EBTG song.

However, The Bird And The Bee wouldn’t be complete without the bee. Greg’s instrumentation and choice of sounds really is the glue that keeps the songs together and the collection cohesive. Whether it’s the [tag]Zombies[/tag]-like keyboards in “La La La”, the tambourine sprinkled throughout or his obvious love of the harpsichord in “Again & Again”, “My Fair Lady” and “I Hate Camera”, he creates the perfect sound to showcase Inara’s light and [tag]airy[/tag] vocals.

Don’t worry though that this is nothing but a collection of songs right out of “Laugh-In”. There are plenty of modern influences to enjoy as well. The fat bass of “Preparedness” owes as much to the [tag]Human League[/tag] as it does to [tag]Timbaland[/tag]. “Fucking Boyfriend” lends itself easily to the club and even deservedly hit number one on the U.S. [tag]dance[/tag] charts last December. And don’t forget to catch the fantastic 8-bit Nintendo-game break in “I Hate Camera”. The Bird And The Bee is the culmination of two [tag]jazz[/tag] nerds playing around and having fun. That fun even shines through in the beautiful “Spark” which closes this debut. Listening to The Bird And The Bee is like slipping into go-go boots and dancing in a cage. It’s the feeling of enjoying the crowd while escaping into your own world.

I’ve been anticipating the release of this disc. I was a big fan of Elliot’s when he was competing on [tag]American Idol[/tag]. While it is not the strongest [tag]debut[/tag] album I’ve heard by far, it is one that delivers exactly what you expect. A young and soulful R&B record made by a man who loves soulful R&B.

There are occasional moments where Elliot’s delivery seems a bit too controlled, and occasional moments of brilliance, like his cover of Donnie Hathaway’s “Song for You.”

My complaints about the disc are pointed directly at the record’s producers, of which several are credited. I have had my fair share of experience with record mixing and production, and there are tracks on this disc that make me want to shake whomever was behind the board. For instance, I was listening to “You Are The One.” For half the track I thought maybe my headphones were loose, but I realized that no, the generic string and electric piano tracks were completely overpowering the vocals. It sounded like it might be karaoke track with a “helpful” scratch vocal to help the not-so-good drunk guy keep his place in the song. It happens a few other times where Elliot is delivering a line with his trademark runs that get lost behind an inane beat and electronic pad.

There are some instances when burying the vocal a bit behind the track is effective. The Police used the technique often as a way to make the listener strain to understand the lyrics, therefore making them really pay attention the message of the song. But these songs aren’t lyrically exceptional.

When you have a talented singer who is know specifically for his VOICE why would you ever try to bury it?

Key Tracks:
• Movin’ On
• Train Wreck
• Alright
• Song for You

Looking for this summer’s Balls To The Wall hard rock album, chock-full-o hooks and plenty of scream-along-in-your-car moments? This is your album. This may be one of the best bands to come out of LA in the past 5 years.

There are some obvious influences by [tag]The Strokes[/tag] and [tag]The White Stripes[/tag], but what sets these guys apart is clean and melodic guitar riffs and intelligible lyrics.

Key Tracks:
• Who’s Gonna Take Us Alive?
• Starting Me Up Again (Diary of a Teenage Cutter)
• Tiara

It would be impossible to write a review of this album without using the words, [tag]unique, quirky, funky, trippy,[/tag] or [tag]unusual[/tag]. I have heard him referred to as a folk-techno troubadour and I think that’s a great description. Well produced with lots of ‘detail sounds’ that will allow you to hear something different with each spin. This disc is chock-full-o drug and sex references, disguised not so well in some truly inventive lyrics. For instance this excerpt from “Visine”:

Seal this note with my juicer; Use the liquid from your womb; Season to taste

and

Had a dream ’bout Joseph Stalin; Was his son haulin’ out of Moscow; On a jellybean with wheels

You can make some obvious comparisons of P.J. Olsson’s music with [tag]Beck[/tag]. Only with better lyrics. And melodies.

You’ve undoubtedly heard “The Whistle Song” on the Starburst commercials. It’s quite catchy. You’ll whistle along, then realize 3 hours later that you’ve been whistling that song non stop, your lips are dry, and your cubicle mate is threatening to give you a rectal with your own head.

Key Tracks
• Visine
• The Whistle Song
• Three Light Years and One Day
• Perfect

With a crystal clear falsetto and his heart on his sleeve, [tag]James Blunt[/tag] has hit the US with a virtually unstoppable single, “You’re Beautiful.” While I enjoy the song, and have been known to sing along, it suffers from one of my personal pet peeves. He changes his lyrical voice several times in the song… one moment he’s singing to the listener, the next to the girl he’s so forlorn over. Just my personal issue with songs that do that… but I digress. There are some really solid tracks on this album. My favorite being “Wisemen” with it’s hooky chorus and tale of friendship.

James spent a lot of time in Kosovo in the UK army, his experiences there inspired probably the most moving track on the album, “No Bravery.”

There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
Tears drying on their face.
He has been here.
Brothers lie in shallow graves.
Fathers lost without a trace.
A nation blind to their disgrace,
Since he’s been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.

While there’s no Summer Anthem Rocker on here, if you are a fan of thought-provoking singer songwriters, you’ll want to spend some time with this album.

Key Tracks:
• You’re Beautiful
• Wisemen
• Out of My Mind
• No Bravery

A mix of folk/country and rock from a seasoned middle-aged divorcee from New York that is smart, funny, sad, and catchy. These modern tales of love, life, and punk dreams of dancing with Joey Ramone will warrant multiple spins on your iPod. Think a cross between [tag]Jill Sobule, the Indigo Girls,[/tag] and maybe even the later [tag]Beatles[/tag]’ albums, with tongue in cheek takes on topics like “Needy Men” and the odd situation of becoming friends with your new husband’s ex wife.

How can I pick up where she never left off? We’re like a club of two who have seen him with his clothes off… The trouble with Jeannie is she’s all right, the trouble with Jeannie is she’s so nice, could somebody explain to me this modern life?

Key tracks:
• Like Rasputin
• The Trouble With Jeannie
• Dancing with Joey Ramone

It isn’t very often that a band’s sophomore major release is as good, or even better than their first release (see [tag]Hootie and the Blowfish[/tag], [tag]Jason Mraz, Lifehouse[/tag], and many many others as examples). However, the few years that Vertical Horizon took to work up some new material were very kind to the guys. This release is a polished non-stop perfect pop/rock album, complete with the balls out rock of “When You Cry” and the tear jerking ballad “It’s Over.” While there may not be a standout anthemic single like “Everything You Want” on this album, you’ll quickly find yourself singing along to every song on the record, wondering why good songs like these never make it to the radio.

It don’t matter, it’s over, here I’ve been waiting, all my life, all this time.

Key Tracks:
• It’s Over
• Forever
• One of You