Wonderfully Eclectic

Alright, so I know it's been a while since my last post, but I figured the mixed reviews this album was getting was enough reason to bring me out of hiding.

I won't begin to claim that this is without preconcieved notions. I'd listened to the self-titled album and frankly... I really enjoyed it. The 60s pop meets Indie Electronica with Inara George's glorious voice intrigued me from the start. It was even more interesting to know that they were signed to not only a Jazz label, but the famed Blue Note. For a while there it was a musical pallette cleanser for me. Though it never made it into heavy rotation, it was played off and on pretty regularly. On the other side of the coin, my first opinion was tempered by the fact that I broke my own rule and read some of the reviews of the album (how I found all of the negative ones are beyond me). So that's where I was when I sat down to give Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future.

The first thing that will catch your attention about Ray Guns is that it pulls away from being a cohesive album the way that the self-titled was. If you thought The Bird and the Bee was on the errattic side, Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future may not be for you. However, if you don't mind a new musical motif with just about every track, you'll find a nice treat with this new album. The constant being that this is still a The Bird and the Bee album, and their style resonates in every song.

While not every track on the album is great, I'd say half of them are. I hate to be so simplistic with this, but it's simply a case of faster v. slower tempos. The uptempo songs will usually reel you in within 30 seconds and then not let go. The slower songs will take much longer or simply not do so at all. That being said, there are 3-4 tracks that are musical crack. I've already caught myself humming them while cooking or cleaning my apartment.

And for those of you who have already heard the two singles ("Love Letter to Japan" and "Polite Dance Song") and are worried you've heard the best of this album, you haven't. I wouldn't say either one of those are the best (or even second best) track on the album. I'd say that "You're A Cad" gets that honor, although I have heard arguments made for three or four other tracks. And if all that isn't enough to get your attention, Inara George penned a wonderfully catchy and charming tribute to her favorite 80s vocalist ("Diamond Dave").

Or to be brief (which I know I haven't been) witty, catchy, eclectic, and sweetened by a talented vocalist. A solid album (4 out of 5).