Good but never brilliant.
The old story about the birds and the bees was always a bit far fetched – where did they all meet, what language did they speak, how did they put up with initial peer pressure and so many other questions that makes you think that them getting together was a far fetched tale. However, when it comes to The Bird and The Bee, it appears that they are a LA duo who has managed to come up with a flowery, light pop album that'll have you swaying and cooing until the summer days.
Inara George's breezy vocals meander throughout the album, barely leaving a footprint as they caress gently over a slightly eclectic backing. Ranging from whisper to harsh spoken passages, there's a wide variation in delivery from the singer and whilst never being immediately striking it's never less than engaging or interesting.
The language on 'Fucking Boyfriend' comes as a shock at first (well, it would do if you ignore the song titles before you listen to the track) and the juxtaposition of the sweet music and melody with the pleading, expletive refrain of the chorus jars at first but becomes kinda sweet after a while.
The jazzy trumpets on 'I'm A Broken Heart' add a summer Balearic, almost Groove Armada feel to the song and this mood prevails throughout the record. There is also a nod to the classic track 'Venus' with some of the backing melodies sounding rather similar.
There are moments like the intro to 'I Hate Camera' or 'Preparedness' where the electro glitches burr and there's a spark of life to the song and you get the feeling that if the tempo could be maintained, whilst still retaining that glorious 60's poppy vocals, that this album could be a great burner but no, it soon slows again and reverts to type.
It's not a lazy record but it's in no rush to get to where it's going. This isn't a bad thing, sometimes it's good to have a record on in the background and to relax with but if you need something with a bit of va-va-voom, it's not going to be found here. If it's picked up by the right person, or a few more remixes along the lines of the one that propelled 'Fucking Boyfriend' into the US dance charts, then this act could do well. Otherwise, there's a strong chance they will sparkle and fade into dinner party obscurity but no doubt mean a hell of a lot to a small branch of people.