The Bird, clad in a thick headband and sixties style mini-dress, and the Bee, decked out in a three piece suit, look for all the world in album and promotional pictures as if they are single-handedly trying to bring back the glory of bygone days. One might be surprised to realize that their fresh sound is concocted almost exclusively by cutting edge software and keyboards. As the quaint yet saucy double entrende of the band's name suggests, the newest album from The Bird and the Bee, Ray Guns are Not Just the Future, presents a wonderfully peculiar juxtaposition of cheery retro melodies dressed in an irresistibly fresh and modern dance beat. This sort of conflation is to be expected from the band who's arguably hit song made a four letter word a term of endearment sweetly asking if “...you'd be my f* boyfriend?”
For all their retro appeal, when professional vocalist Inara George and producer/musician Greg Kurstin assume the stage in a live concert they are all modern; their music flows from cords and metallic sources that only barely, or even not at all, resemble the instrumental sounds educed from them. Their only props are a microphone and sparingly used bass guitar for George, and just a keyboard for Kurstin though one assumes a computer is nestled somewhere within reach. With these few apparatus they concoct a sound that evokes a full band or orchestra with sounds ranging from tambourine to harp and everything in between. Eluding categories as any innovative band should, dichotomously labeled both Indie pop and Electronica in an iTunes genre field, their sound might best be described as a foundation of trip hop swayed by geographic and historical influences. Bossanova, 50's girl band, and Asian pop reminiscences are set to dance club beats.
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