PLEDGE WEEK: The Bird & The Bee

Photo by David Greenwald

Obligatory blogger anecdote: I first heard the Bird and the Bee last year on the radio, driving with Greg UCLAradio.com to the gym. (P.S. guys, I went to the gym four times this week. I also ate three boxes of girl scout cookies.) Whatever song they were playing was so good that we called in to find out what it is.

Aww. “Good story, Hansel.” Okay, but anyway: The Bird and the Bee play glittering, silver screen retro-pop with a distinctly modern sheen. Think of them as Nancy Sinatra doing the James Bond theme…for Casino Royale. The smart production is courtesy of Greg Kurstin; Inara George is the equally sharp singer. Most of the songs cover relationship issues, but with refreshing spins: “Again and Again” takes a frustrating love/hate situation to an extreme, while “Fucking Boyfriend” begs for the big oaf to take the hint, already.

The Bird and the Bee – “Again and Again”: mp3
The Bird and the Bee – “Fucking Boyfriend”: mp3

(Buy the band’s self-titled debut from Blue Note)

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PLEDGE WEEK UPDATE: Donations are starting to roll in. Big thanks to those who’ve already contributed! If you haven’t thrown a few bucks yet, you can help out on the Rawking Refuses To Stop! donation page. Keep ’em coming, folks.

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