The Bird And The Bee - 'The Bird And The Bee' (Blue Note) Released 26/03/07

Like a time-travelling Stereolab, The Bird And The Bee'have a hand-clasp on the Brazilian Bossa Nova with acoustic instrumentation augmented by some solid props and programming to lend melody to the whimsy - they are possessed by a pop heart rather than a Jazz sensibility, yet the vocalist Inara George (daughter of Little Feat frontman, Lowell George) has all the delights of an Astrid Gilberto or a Suzanne Vega and their mutual love of 'standards' shines on through. Greg Kurstin has a muscians pedigree with a C.V. do die for - with tuition from Charlie Mingus's pianist and sessioning with Beck and Robert Moog plus producion duties for the Flaming Lips, Peaches and Lily Allen, when the improvised whimsical songs have fluttered away, there's an appreciative nod to the arranger at play.

'Again & Again' has whispery vocals from Inara George singing of confusion with a delightful air - "...I hate you/ I want you...", 'Birds and the Bees' has an Astrid Gilberto charm and 'My Fair Lady' could have stepped off the soundtrack to 'The Sound Of Music' with its skipping reverie of a tune and "boxes of chocolates"... 'F-cking Boyfriend' may be so dastardly that he deserves a scolding but this song is so crass it riles with its superfluous use of the incredibly adaptable, flexible and universal f-word, and B & the B do this word a poor disservice when 'flip' may have sufficed, 'golly by gosh'!

'I'm A Broken Heart' has a winter wonderland at heart with a white-washed patina that patters along and is grounded by use of trombone, a winter of the heart musically embraced. 'La La La' is a scatty aimless ditty with psychedlic aspirations that founder at the switching on of the lava lamp and all the rest is - mellow - "...la la la la lar...". 'Because' has a fair share of rhyming couplets and a bit of fun to make a point - "...because/ beacuse I'm sick of all the bones you throw/ because/ because/ there's nothing from the seeds you sow..." with Inara like a playful Sia Furler and the programmed beats and voice-over washes lending an experimental leftfield aura, whilst 'Preparedness' slumbers with a kindergarden nursery rhyme of a tune.

At the end of the day, when all the cliches are put to bed,  this is an album that glimmers rather than shines, something that the younger generations would no doubt love; and maybe that's its beauty and innocence - that this is music so benign and comforting that for a moment you're back chasing a girl around the schoolyard playing tick.