Music for the Junoverse

There is a lyric from the Kings of Leon track “Day Old Blues” that goes:

girls are gonna love the way i toss my hair
boys are gonna hate the way i seem

Funny, I used to think it was “boys are gonna hate the way I sing.” Which would have made sense given lead singer Caleb Followill’s dog howl of a voice.

People fall in love with voices. I’m attracted to big, interesting, voices with sharp edges and a distinct sound. All of my favorites vocalists would be easily identifiable if given the “We are the World” cameo. My attraction to the odd voice is the reason I love Caleb’s hair and his voice, it’s the reason I’m attracted to the creaky country of Gary Allan and the optimism of Jenny Lewis. And now I’m in love with the hula-hoop rockabilly of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down.

I was first introduced to Thao & The Get Down Stay Down when a guy here at the agency had them come do a brief live set over the lunch hour. Before I even walked over to see them I made a comment to a guy sitting next to me that the music had started. I could hear this intoxicating voice, but my co-worker gave me a knowing glance and said, “I know, I can’t stand the sound of this guy’s voice either.” Turns out Thao was a woman. Specifically she’s the lead vocalist of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down an alternative folk rock band from San Francisco.

Lead vocalist Thao Nguyen has a real indie sound. It’s like Edie Brickell in cowboy boots with spurs. There’s just enough twang on top of a haunting Mazzy Star, almost Cranberries like vocal.

Typically when you’re drinking beers and you end up buying the band’s CD, it doesn’t hold up the next day. If anything it’s a painful reminder you had too much to drink—the music lovers’ equivalent of having to go back to the bar and pick up your credit card.

But there was no walk of shame with Thao & The Get Down Stay Down. If anything, it got better. Their record We Brave Bee Stings And All is the sort of music you play loud from your computer and someone will ask you what it is either because they want to buy it, or they want you to turn it off.

And I guess that’s a compliment. Thao & The Get Down Stay Down is not for everyone, but the people it is for won’t like it, they’ll love it. Even the album title We Brave Bee Stings And All sounds like it’s been ripped off the marquee of an exclusive art house cinema. When we first hear Thao on “Beat (Health, Life, and Fire)” it’s clear she likes the drama. Nearly every song on We Brave Bee Stings and All is a series of peaks and valleys.

“Bag of Hammers” is the single and it starts detox with just Thao’s haunting voice before letting drummer Willis Thompson play hero and groove us the rest of the way. Although I must say this particular song is even fuller live. But I suspect these guys are a soundtrack or TV appearance away from bigger production values that bring even more of their live girth to disc. “Bag of Hammers” in particular is recorded a bit quiet on the record which is a shame because it really does want to make you shout. That one needs to be played at eleven.

It’s really the combination that’s special. As a band Thao & The Get Down Stay Down is truly the sum of their parts. The Get Down Stay Down with their banjos, horns, organs and beat of the drums have a sound that makes you want to just jump in the car and drive. And then you add that voice and presto a weird family taking a road trip turns into Little Miss Sunshine. Thao makes it whole.

Playing since age 12, Thao also seems to be a talent with the lyrics. She does a lot of rhyming, and has simple lines like “love large enough to want to shrink” and “it was brave to play, an honor to lose” that will sneak up on you.

I can’t say anything bad about We Brave Bee Stings and All. I truly love this little record. This doesn’t happen very often, I’m smitten for a band. Even the filler music on We Brave Bee Stings And All is way fresh. It sounds like music you’d want playing when you walk into your room in one of those hotels that is nice enough to have music playing when you walk into the rooms.

So if you fancy your music tastes to be eclectic, if you’ve ever owned the soundtrack to a Tarrantino film, if you listen to the indie radio station in town, if you like the music in the Apple commercials, do yourself a favor and pick this one up. I know you people, and I know you will like it. And please buy the whole damn album. I won’t even give you a choice song to sample because when it comes to Thao & The Get Down Stay Down I want you to bump into the whole thing, it’s that good.