The Bird and the Bee

Who are The Bird and the Bee? They’re singer Inara George and producer/instrumentalist Greg Kurstin, a duo based in Los Angeles. Who’s “the bird” and who’s “the bee”? She’s avian, he’s apiarian in this boundary-crossing band. They sound like a synth act on Prozac—a kinder, gentler Strawberry Switchblade. The vocals are sweet without turning saccharine; the melodies are catchy without being cutesy; the arrangements are clever without feeling cluttered; the beats are bouncy without getting rote. Case in point: “Love Letter to Japan,” the first single off their new disc, which leaps and bounds its way into audiographic memory. Other tracks do likewise: “My Love,” “Baby,” “Polite Dance Song,” album-title-referencing “Ray Gun.” The band’s profile got raised this past week with appearances on The Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live; if you didn’t catch ’em there, check ’em out online. This is a band worth hearing.