We Brave Bee Stings and All

Thao, Thao With the Get Down Stay Down | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 29, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Kill Rock Stars
• ASIN: B000ZOSMYC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,322 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

On Thao Nguyen's second album and first for Kill Rock Stars, the young singer's delightful voice draws you in. She sings in a wispy manner that recalls Sinead O'Connor at bedtime, employing the cottonmouth phrasing of Beth Orton, Chan Marshall (Cat Power), and Jolie Holland to great effect. This is downright happy music with brooding lyrics, an approach that's worked well for Belle and Sebastian and Cardinal. Nguyen and crew have it down pat. Bee Stings has been expertly produced by Tucker Martine, a long-standing collaborator of Laura Veirs. Veirs actually introduced the two, as well as hooking Nguyen up with her label after getting an unsolicited recording in the mail. On Nguyen's MySpace page, she describes her music like this: "Tangles of guitar, knots of singing, threads of beat and thump make a rope fit for hauling the heavy machinery of your day." Who can argue with that? --Mike McGonigal

Product Description

According to Thao Nguyen, she has two talents: her first is she has a knack for beat-boxing and humming at the same time (Rahzel needn't worry about any competition just yet though) and her second, and in her opinion finest, is that she had a capacity to watch so much TV as a kid, she's convinced her personality is made up of several different sitcom characters. Of course Thao, the 23 year Virginia-bred songwriter, is forgetting her unique voice, natural sense for a good melody, and striking lyrics, skillful guitar plucking and her deadly dry sense of humour. Thao's debut for Kill Rock Stars, showcases all these talents and more, proving she's a star in the making.

With her perky strumming guitar, bluegrass tinged banjo, giddy sense of self and uninhibited vulnerability, Thao manages that rare combination of songs that sound happy but are, at times so sad. Whether using an acoustic guitar strummed with a toothbrush or a sharpie pen, or employing keyboards, horns and a full rhythm section with her band The Get Down Stay Down, her songs are always buoyant, littered with catchy riffs and lyrics gripped with intimate details juxtaposed with her cheeky humor. ''My songs reflect my personality as far as shirking the seriousness of things'' says Thao.

Thao's sly and mischievous sense of humour is all over this record, lightening the gravity of her words in the tradition of the very best songwriters, raising the mundane and ordinary to the extraordinary. Her music comes to life during her live performances, where Thao's clever, self-depricating and charming personality shines, surpassed only by her guitar picking skills.

The vinyl version contains two extra tracks: a cover of the Smoky Robinson classic ''You Really Got Hold On Me'' and and a Thao original ''Tallymarks''.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Album, February 13, 2008

By 

WolfAmI! (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: We Brave Bee Stings and All (MP3 Download)

This is simply a great album. Don't be put off by the one-star review. The reviewer complained about the quality of the recording and songwriting. Listen to the previews of the songs and you can hear there's nothing wrong with the quality of the recording. The simple fact is that some people can't enjoy any music if it's not artificial, over-processed Barbie-pop. This is a very tasteful album with solid performance and solid songwriting. It deserves much more than one star.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sophomore Album Success, February 7, 2008

By 

C. Bobal (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: We Brave Bee Stings and All (Audio CD)

Thao Nguyen's second full-length album has anything a music-lover could ask for: catchy guitar-playing, clever lyrics, and most importantly, feeling. Thao's voice conveys emotion like few other singer-songwriters can. Her backing band, the Get Down Stay Down, add depth and interest to the sound without overwhelming the focal point of the songs - Thao's lyrics and the amazing voice she sings them with. It might take a few listens to figure out what the lyrics are saying, but it feels more like an intriguing mystery to solve than a chore. Is she talking about her childhood? Is it a metaphor for a relationship? What is this "Bag of Hammers" that the second track (and one of the best on the album) is named for? No matter what conclusions you reach, I guarantee that the listening process will be an enjoyable one!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Album, January 31, 2008

By 

B. Fullerton "bigfully" (TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: We Brave Bee Stings and All (MP3 Download)

I've been listening to "Bag of Hammers" over and over again ever since I first heard it in December. Thao does jangly pop in an original way. This is some of the finest new music I've heard in a long, long while. The entire album is a winner.