The Cellar Door: The Bird and the Bee

Welcome to the latest installment of a quasi-regular series, the Cellar Door, where we go back and take a look at something we missed when it first hit the scene.

When it comes to music, my girlfriend, Laura, and I have a sometimes-tenuous relationship. She grew up on certain genres that I, uh, don’t like and I grew up on good music. I often make fun of how she likes to listen to the music of “boys with guitars,” which works out great for me when it’s M. Ward, but poorly the rest of the time. In turn, she makes fun of all the house music I listen to, especially since I only seem to dance with my neck and can’t to stay up later than 11pm.

Truthfully, Laura’s ear for music is actually quite good and I just enjoy giving her a hard time; clearly, however, we don’t always see eye to eye on certain bands and artists. For instance, she recently derided Animal Collective for their lack of melodies, and while I privately recognize that she’s right in regards to some of their songs, that doesn’t mean I didn’t scoff at her assertion when she made it. While I’m writing this, Laura just commented after reading over my shoulder, “We don’t have any problems with music. You’re just pretentious at times.”

Lately, we have found a common ground: pop acts with female singers. Over several long drives and live concerts this summer, we’ve enjoyed artists like Santogold, Lykke Li, Feist, Neko Case, Lily Allen and Chairlift, among others. A few weeks ago, Laura happily offered (threatened?) to play me her newest discovery as we headed to a park to take her dogs for a walk. I was skeptical; it’s actually a bit of a running theme with the two of us that we both get excited to show off a newly found artist or band, only to have the other partner say how little the like it. But nevertheless, wanting to be a supportive boyfriend, I obliged and Laura put on the latest from the Bird and the Bee.I had heard of them in passing, but for those who, like me, were in the dark, the Bird and the Bee is the work of producer Greg Kurstin (of Lily Allen’s debut Alright, Still-fame) and singer Inara George. They have put out two LPs, including last year’s Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future, which received some acclaim on the old-people (read: NPR) music podcasts but otherwise wasn’t all that well-covered. I vaguely recalled something about “…from the west to the east…” but couldn’t remember much else.It was much to my surprise when I actually liked Laura’s first selection, “My Love.” The album’s first real song is a straightforward pop single driven by a steady faux-handclap drumbeat under George’s vocal takes laid over one another. Kurstin’s pianos takeover for the drums in “Diamond Dave,” before slowing things down with “What’s in the Middle?” and “Ray Gun.” Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future’s true gem is “Love Letter to Japan,” that of my rough “…from the west to the east…” memory. This track is like three songs in one; during the verses, George’s self-harmonies drive the song, during the choruses, it’s a party jam, with loud, rich backing vocals and during the bridge, they couple vocoded-Japanese with kids singing the lyrics of the chorus.I’ve been trying to come up with a comparison for the Bird and the Bee, but it’s tough. There are elements of the production that remind me of Lily Allen’s Alright, Still, for aforementioned reasons, but there are two other notable aspects at work here. Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future has a dreamy quality in certain songs and a 1960s Ronettes appeal in others, with a dash of Jem tossed in for good measure. At times, George’s vocals remind me of Regina Spektor (particularly on “Polite Dance Song” and “You’re a Cold”) and during others she could voice-double for (Leslie) Feist. Frankly, the Bird and the Bee are their own group, with a unique sound, and influences aren’t all that important. I’m not sure how I missed Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future the first time around, but thanks to Laura for putting me on to them.The Bird and the Bee - Love Letter for JapanThe Bird and the Bee - Polite Dance SongThe Bird and the Bee - Meteor