The Bird and the Bee - The Bird and the Bee (2007)

Posted By: tirexiss

Date: May 26, 2017

As a label, Blue Note has been changing its focus, drifting closer and closer to mainstream pop material – not that there's anything wrong with this, but it is a bit of a shock that the name label in jazz since 1939 is looking for hits with Elisabeth Withers and a third Norah Jones offering. That said, the Metro Blue imprint of the label is as adventurous as ever, and the self-titled offering from the Bird and the Bee is about as eclectic as it gets. The Bird and the Bee are vocalist and songwriter Inara George (for music historians, she is the daughter of the late Little Feat singer, guitarist, and songwriter Lowell George) and multi-instrumentalist/producer Greg Kurstin. Inara George issued her solo debut, All Rise, to little notice in 2004, and Kurstin handled keyboard and drum machine chores on that one. The duo's debut album is a showcase for ten small, elegant, and strangely sophisticated pop songs that incorporate French pop (and Europop in general), some tropicalia and samba, and a postmodern form of space age bachelor – and bachelorette – music. Yet, the end product is more musical and complex than all of them. In its own way, this is as strange as anything by Jane Siberry or Brigitte Fontaine, as quirky as Jill Sobule or Jane Birkin (during her latter Serge Gainsbourg period), and much drier than (while remaining as confessional as) Sam Phillips during her Martinis & Bikinis phase. All of that said, mood music or a backdrop hanging sound isn't the point or the end result. Inara George is more than simply hip – she's savvy, poetic, and quick-witted: "A pretty idiot is kissing/Everyone she doesn't know/And the pigs are eating popcorn/Selling tickets to the show." The shimmering pop samba in "My Fair Lady" could have been in Breakfast at Tiffany's if the film had been made in 2007 and starred Dorothy Parker in the lead role: "I need someone to show a little kindness/If he can turn his head, a little blindness/I know I might seem a little aimless/And I can also be a little shameless." Kurstin wraps these irony-filled lyrics in layers of skeletal keyboards and beats. The music shimmers, shakes, slightly jerks, and shimmies. This is the place where smart little drinks and hidden emotions find their adjoining playgrounds. And ultimately, this music is playground pastiche, but that's far from a criticism. The sheer instinct and musical dexterity at work here make the album irresistible – and in particular "I Hate Camera," with its rounded and warm skittering loops and faux harpsichord keys keeping pace with jangling keyboard sounds and sputtering vocal effects. This is a record that gives up its secrets slowly, while being charming and delightful at every turn.

AllMusic

Track List:

01. Again & Again
02. Birds and the Bees
03. Fucking Boyfriend
04. I'm a Broken Heart
05. La la La
06. My Fair Lady
07. I Hate Camera
08. Because
09. Preparedness
10. Spark

EAC Log

EAC extraction logfile from 27. March 2007, 22:41 for CD
The Bird and the Bee / The Bird and the Bee

Used drive : PLEXTOR CD-R PREMIUM Adapter: 2 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure with NO C2, accurate stream, disable cache
Combined read/write offset correction : 0
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No

Used output format : C:\Program Files\FLAC\flac.exe (User Defined Encoder)
192 kBit/s
Additional command line options : -V -8 -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s

Other options :
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000

Track 1
Filename C:\Program Files\EAC\Output\FLAC\The Bird and the Bee\The Bird and the Bee\01 - The Bird and the Bee - Again & Again.wav

Peak level 97.7 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 516746BE
Copy OK

Track 2
Filename C:\Program Files\EAC\Output\FLAC\The Bird and the Bee\The Bird and the Bee\02 - The Bird and the Bee - Birds And The Bees.wav

Peak level 97.7 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC C44B8970
Copy OK

Track 3
Filename C:\Program Files\EAC\Output\FLAC\The Bird and the Bee\The Bird and the Bee\03 - The Bird and the Bee - Fxcking Boyfriend.wav

Peak level 97.7 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC C4BE7088
Copy OK

Track 4
Filename C:\Program Files\EAC\Output\FLAC\The Bird and the Bee\The Bird and the Bee\04 - The Bird and the Bee - I'm A Broken Heart.wav

Peak level 97.7 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 33AE4A3B
Copy OK

Track 5
Filename C:\Program Files\EAC\Output\FLAC\The Bird and the Bee\The Bird and the Bee\05 - The Bird and the Bee - La La La.wav

Peak level 97.7 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 8037D676
Copy OK

Track 6
Filename C:\Program Files\EAC\Output\FLAC\The Bird and the Bee\The Bird and the Bee\06 - The Bird and the Bee - My Fair Lady.wav

Peak level 97.7 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 7C28936C
Copy OK

Track 7
Filename C:\Program Files\EAC\Output\FLAC\The Bird and the Bee\The Bird and the Bee\07 - The Bird and the Bee - I Hate Camera.wav

Peak level 97.7 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 2B01AAB1
Copy OK

Track 8
Filename C:\Program Files\EAC\Output\FLAC\The Bird and the Bee\The Bird and the Bee\08 - The Bird and the Bee - Because.wav

Peak level 97.7 %
Track quality 99.9 %
Copy CRC AC6FE0C7
Copy OK

Track 9
Filename C:\Program Files\EAC\Output\FLAC\The Bird and the Bee\The Bird and the Bee\09 - The Bird and the Bee - Preparedness.wav

Peak level 98.8 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 333ECE4D
Copy OK

Track 10
Filename C:\Program Files\EAC\Output\FLAC\The Bird and the Bee\The Bird and the Bee\10 - The Bird and the Bee - Spark.wav

Peak level 97.7 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 81A9A214
Copy OK

No errors occured

End of status report

Thanks to the Original ripper (unknown)!

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