Thao Nguyen And The Get Down Stay Down

On their 2008 Kill Rock Stars debut, We Brave Bee Stings And All, Thao Nguyen and her backing band, The Get Down Stay Down, played arresting rock songs given to bluesy sparseness and nuanced cadence. Though her wispy voice, playful melodies, and sense of childlike wonderment suggest just another starry-eyed female folkie with a weird-rock jones, Nguyen’s dense, witty lyricism and subtle quirks (check her beat-boxing on “Bag Of Hammers”) reward deeper study. The band's new record, Know Better Learn Faster, builds on the strengths of the debut, with punchy, hard-hitting tracks like "Body" pushing Nguyen's singular voice to the forefront.

Updated 10/13/2009