The Bird and the Bee - Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future
By Nick Manteris · 0 Comments · Leave a Comment
Inara “Bird” George and Greg “Bee” Kurstin started working together after realizing a common love of jazz standards and, besides from being incredibly cute, the music that they create has a very retro aesthetic. Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future is the second LP that the duo has released as The Bird and the Bee, but in between their first full-length album and this one they’ve put out three EPs. Two of the songs found here have been recycled from a couple of those EPs. “Birthday” is nothing special, but the bawdy “Polite Dance Song” is really fun, with lines like “Would you please clap your hands / Now get up on your feet / I beg of you to get up and dance / It's such a crazy kick-ass beat.” (“Kick-ass” has never been used so adorably.)
Like “Birthday,” most of the songs on Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future are average and the acerbic edge from their past offerings seems to be mostly missing. “My Love” starts the album out with a line from “Helter Skelter,” followed by an unexpected tribute to Mr. David Lee Roth and then one of the better tracks, “What's in the Middle.” The aforementioned “Polite Dance Song” is the next notable song and then “Witch” is the last above-average track.
- Score
- 71%
The voice of Inara George is the glue that holds all of these songs together and another lyricist would probably have trouble with some of the lines that seem effortless to her. Her personality gravitates towards cute and her “Love Letter to Japan,” the Mecca of cute, is a perfect example. The low points of the album are “Baby” and “Lifespan of a Fly,” but they’re really not that bad. The Bird and the Bee have been averaging two releases a year since late 2006 and they always include something worthwhile. Check them out if you like cute and quirky with a side of jazzy elecropop.
