We Brave Bee Stings and All

The second album by Portland, Oregon-based singer-songwriter Thao Nguyen and her backing band the Get Down Stay Down blends the winsome indie pop of Belle & Sebastian with a more impassioned and emotional vocal and lyrical style reminiscent of Cat Power. The combination works wonderfully, especially on tracks like the urgent "Bag of Hammers" and the spare acoustic ballad "Violet." WE BRAVE BEE STINGS AND ALL is available as a digital download, a standard CD, and a vinyl LP.