The Bird And The Bee

Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future

[4/5]

It almost doesn’t matter what chanteuse Inara George-one half of the Bird And The Bee-is singing about on the duo’s second full-length, Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future, mainly because it all sounds so sweet. George and her musical companion, keyboardist Greg Kurstin, craft sparse, dulcet little numbers which, much like those on their 2007 self-titled debut, could be about bloody murder and you’d have no idea. The music is mostly ambient and hushed, the moody soundtrack to a dark corner in a candlelit lounge, but the album picks up speed on the prancing “Love Letter To Japan” and aptly titled “Polite Dance Song.” George and Kurstin are at their best, though, on the introspective “Ray Gun,” where George croons, “I want a pretty little life.” We do, too. (BLUE NOTE; bluenote.com) Emily Zemler