We Brave Bee Stings And All, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, 2008, :32
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Alternative folk-rock with horns. Catchy and pleasant, with an undercurrent. Jangling banjo, fast-paced riffs, lyrics that are about about doing cannonballs and a mother who works hard for her kids and lost love, and yet somehow dark and distressing. "Love large enough to want to shrink / Been done enough to start to think / I might cut right back on the heart attacks." And: "As sharp as I sing / It still soothes you / Doesn't it? / Like a lick of ice cream." It's quite good, but I guess sometimes I like it a little sharper and less sweet. My favorite tracks are three excellent standouts: "Swimming Pool," "Bag of Hammers," "Travel."
