Bird & Bee Please Clap Your Hands Genres:Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock Inara George and Greg Kurstin, a.k.a. the bird and the bee, have collected fans and critical accolades since the release of their self titled debut in January '07. The band has been busy ever since with non-stop touring an... more »d promotion all over the globe. All the while the band continued to write and record wherever they found themselves.« less
Inara George and Greg Kurstin, a.k.a. the bird and the bee, have collected fans and critical accolades since the release of their self titled debut in January '07. The band has been busy ever since with non-stop touring and promotion all over the globe. All the while the band continued to write and record wherever they found themselves.
CD Reviews
Too hip for the room?
Eric J. Anderson | Ankeny, Iowa | 10/19/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Bird And The Bee are Inara George and Greg Kurstin. Inara has a voice like a pixie-ish angel, but both of them are multi-instrumentalists, and obviously highly trained in musical composition. Inara creates beautiful harmonies and choruses through the use of studio overdubbing. Kurstin is master of all things keyboard.
This new Bird And The Bee project, like the earlier album, seems to be aiming at a certain attitude, a certain style: modern, yet taking elements of soft 1960s pop music. They project a sort of wink-wink hipster ambivalence in most of the songs, except the final beautiful and heartfelt love song, How Deep Is Your Love.
I could almost make an argument that the group is an example of style over substance. Almost. The melodies, arrangements, production are astoundingly sophisticated and creative. Perhaps in this respect they could be compared to Steely Dan: great music, great production, sly attitude, but generally not aimed at touching the heart.
Still, these two musicians are producing some of the greatest pop music released this year. While the first album and this EP have been fun, I hope that in the future they can marry their musical talents to something a little more intimate and emotional -- like some of the material from Inara George's recent solo CD, All Rise. I have a feeling that what they've done so far, great as it is, entertaining as it is, will not wear well if they try to tread the same gound again on the next album."
The Bird and The Bee Do it Again!
MindTrix | 11/01/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"With a sound that we have come to know from The Bird and The Bee comes the Sophomore EP I have been waiting to hear. disappointed that it is just an EP and not a full LP. I still love it. I recommend this new album for any fan out there. Please Clap Your Hands is a great little didy that gets foot tapping from the first song."
Retro Shmetro
Mark Champion | San Antonio, TX United States | 05/20/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If Ivy is the indie Carpenters (Dominique Durand is a dead ringer for Karen Carpenter (see "Edge Of The Ocean") then The Bird And The Bee is The Captain And Tennile - - down to Inara George's coiffure and backup vocals, particularly on "The Polite Dance Song." Heck, they even cover Bee Gees faithfully and without a trace of irony, just to prove how retro-cool they are. It might also mean that The Carpenters, The C&T and Bee Gees were decades ahead of their time(s). File under Extremely Listener Friendly. Edge of the Ocean"
INDIE POSH
collector | 01/10/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"if there ever was such a category as indie posh, this band would be it. very stylish, never fails to please, survives repeated listenings, ingenious, picturesque and stimulating music and i could go on forever.
this follow up to their debut album does not let you down. every tune is carefully crafted to give you a psychedelic sonic trip. no boring melodies or banal arrangements from this duo. this is indie pop at its finest. inara's vocals floating over the music makes your heart light and your spirit dance. its a kind of epiphanic happiness captured on a CD. listening to them makes you realise that your world can be a happy place with just a smile even on a cloudy day.
my favorite track from this EP is the one titled "Man"... for some reason this band reminds me of what the late 90s band "Mono" (Formica Blues) could have been after the one hit wonder "life in mono". Full of references to nostalgic hippie rose colored days, psuedo jazz nuances and for some unknown reason it kinda feels french (probably because i'm reminded of that french electronic band "Air").
Not enough credit has been given to 1 song from the debut album... "Spark"... so i'm stealing some space here to publicize it. Its so sweet and sentimental. This band is definitely not out to fill an album with mediocre boring stuff just to release one. They are real song craftsmen inventing sweet tunes and music to capture your imagination. If lyrics were all that mattered, you might as well read a poem, or listen to some garth brooks (gasp!) lol"
