The Bird and The Bee
The Bird and The Bee
(Metro Blue/Blue Note)
First Appeared in The Music Box, February 2007, Volume 14, #2
Written by John Metzger
The problem with folding Tropicalia into Europop is that it is apt to produce nothing more than a lightweight soundtrack for a cocktail party. Nevertheless, The Bird and the Bee sufficiently makes the case on its self-titled debut that perhaps such a combination could work on a larger scale. Granted, at first glance, this isn’t immediately apparent, and the songs’ infectious melodies and chirpy, electronic beats appear almost entirely to be constructed by enveloping the modern folk-pop of Jem within a Brazilian jazz motif. However, as tracks like I’m a Broken Heart and La La La suggest — the former tune dresses sorrow in sunshine by coloring the melancholia of Pet Sounds-era Brian Wilson with the bright, horn-splattered arrangements of Burt Bacharach, while the latter cut embraces a perky ’60s groove that immediately conjures images of Austin Powers — there’s more to The Bird and the Bee than initially meets the eye.
Though the music treads lightly, riding upon the breezy currents of The Bird and the Bee’s multilayered arrangements, the lyrics penned by Inara George and Greg Kurstin pack a punch. The coy but aggressive manner in which George sings them only enhances their bite. "I would be so winning, so absolutely winning," she states before asking in a condescendingly angered tone, "Would you ever be my...would you ever be my fucking boyfriend?"
Although George also demonstrates her vulnerability (on My Fair Lady,
for example), it is her angst and her frustration with relationships that fuels
much of The Bird and the Bee’s material. She oscillates between love and hate on
Again & Again, and she relays her weariness with this repetitive pattern
on Because. Overall, the collection emits a general disdain with the way
that men and women behave, and her answer is simply to level the playing field
by standing up for herself as an individual. "Are you prepared for serenity? Are
prepared to disagree? Are you prepared...are you prepared for me?" she playfully
inquires as the hypnotic music first enhances and then seductively cushions the
menacing threat within her words, thus driving home the point that sharing equal
footing isn’t nearly as perilous as it initially may seem. In fact, it can be
quite comforting. In the end, it’s precisely the ingenious manner in which The
Bird and the Bee’s lyrics and its arrangements intertwine to support one another
that makes its eponymous endeavor so resonant. 
½
Of Further Interest...
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - The Dust of Retreat
The Bird and The Bee is available from
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box