we brave bee stings and all

Every month when my Paste magazine arrives I do a little happy dance. You'd think the post-person stuffed a bag of pure sunshine and smiles in my mailbox. Every issue comes with a sampler CD with about twenty songs on each one, and the magazine itself is excellent. Talented, witty writers and pages packed with all you could want to know about the latest music, movies, and books ... enough to make you very hip and cool with your indie rock friends. Because let's face it - that's what we all strive for.

Last month's issue came with a song from Thao. A great little toe-tapping ditty that I couldn't get enough of. Last night, I downloaded the whole album and now I can't stop listening to it. The song "Bag of Hammers" makes me dance every time, which isn't necessarily appropriate at the office.

I have found that I am no good at doing music reviews. They usually sound something like this: "I downloaded X album. I really like it. You should get it." So, here is what the Amazon.com reviewer said about it:

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

Take a listen here.