the bird and the bee

Continuing the new material review, winter respite, and bees and things theme of Saturday's post, here's some more sunshine and warm summer breezes courtesy of The Bird and the Bee, who release their much anticipated eponymous debut album tomorrow.

The Bird and the Bee is Inara George and Greg Kurstin. They met in 2005 while Kurstin worked on George's solo album All Rise, had fun playing jazz standards for a while, and then started writing their own material.

The result is a breath of fresh air. Kurstin and George take breezy, mid-'60s Bacharach and Sergio Mendez pop, toss in Getz-Gilberto jazz and bossa nova, add a dash of psychedelica and a pinch of mid-'90s trip hop, stir, and then garnish liberally with indie electronica. The duo often tip their hat to early Stereolab, but Inara's voice is lighter and more breathy than Lætitia Sadier's, and better suited to the Bird and the Bee's unique and sensual blend of indie pop and bossa electronica.

Kurstin is a multi-instrumentalist and piano prodigy who studied with legendary jazz pianist Jaki Byard (in addition to his accomplishments as a leader, Byard played with Dolphy, Rahsaan and, most notably, Mingus during his amazing early-mid '60s period). After moving to LA, Kurstin became an in-demand session musician and producer, helping out the likes of Beck, The Flaming Lips, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Robert Moog.

And George is the daughter of Zappa / Mothers of Invention alum and Little Feat co-founder / guitarist Lowell George. According to wikipedia, after Lowell George's untimely death in 1979, Jackson Browne wrote the song "Of Missing Persons" for Inara about her father.

Again and Again -- The Bird and the Bee

The Birds and the Bees -- " . . . " (2007)

On their myspace page,The Bird and the Bee describe their sound as "a futuristic 1960's American film set in Brazil." Enjoy the movie.

BONUS: The Bird and the Bee have made the Peaches remix of "Fucking Boyfriend," from their debut Ep released a few months ago, available for free download on their promotional website:

Fucking Boyfriend (Peaches remix) -- " . . . " Again and Again and Again Ep (2006)

preorder The Bird and the Bee from Newbury or Amazon. And for those in the LA area, The Bird and the Bee will perform at The Troubadour on January 23rd.

UPDATE: I was never a fan of Inara George's father's music with Little Feat . . . with one exception: the funky, Latin jazz rock jam "Day at the Dog Races" from Time Loves a Hero. According to AMG, the tensions between Lowell George and the rest of the band were at a breaking point and everybody loved "Day at the Dog Races" except George, who "disparagingly compared it to Weather Report"(!) (makes you wonder if Inara's dad would've considered Greg Kurstin to be a jazz wanker). Well, comparison to mid-'70s Weather Report is high praise in my book. And while Little Feat can't exactly hold a candle to Joe Zawinul, Jaco Pastorius and Wayne Shorter, I've always liked this track:

Day at the Dog Races -- Little Feat: Time Loves a Hero (1977)

. . .