Thao & The Get Down Stay Down released their highly anticipated third studio album, “We the Common,” Tuesday. “We the Common” marks the third project by Thao Nguyen with her band, and the 12-track album does not disappoint. Nguyen’s unique brand of indie alternative folk-rock is front and center on this record and shows a more mature sound and vocal arrangement for the front-woman. Released by the label Ribbon Music, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down have crafted a beautiful record sure to impress.
Since Nguyen hit the music scene — she began recording in high school — her knack for creating catchy music has stuck with her and has grown as she’s grown in the music industry. Nguyen has proven time and time again that she’s a master songstress, and her music is a testament to her talent. Her folksy vocal range and her indie-rock-with-a-dash-of-pop genre has provided Nguyen with a sound that’s mainstream yet entirely her own. She’s an amalgamation of female indie folk artists — Feist, Florence & the Machine and Elizabeth & The Catapult, to name a few — yet her punchy musical attitude allows her to form her own persona.
“We the Common” includes all the aspects that fans have come to love about Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, but has an added dose of musical maturity and sass. The album is a catchy, upbeat indie-pop mix of vocals, instrumentation and experimentation. Nguyen’s third album masterwork is a deliciously bold punch to the eardrum that hooks tight and won’t let go. But for once, being reeled in is all too welcome with this album. “We the Common” is a smooth representation of Nguyen and her musical adventures.
The opening track on the album, “We the Common” — the title track — is a beautiful teaser for the rest of the album. Nguyen’s feisty vocal quality emerges unflinchingly; paired with the whimsicality of the lyrics, Nguyen’s vocals are irresistibly alluring. It’s nearly impossible not to give in to the toe-tapping quality of the rhythm. The group harmonies scattered throughout the track also give the song a unique flair that is reminiscent of Feist; however, Nguyen manages to make the song her own by the sheer strength of her vocal performance. Nguyen knows her feisty vocals are her strong suit, and she’s not afraid to use that to her advantage.
The second track on the album, “City,” rhythmically emotes the same feisty quality that Nguyen’s vocals possess. The guitar and drumbeat create an upbeat, funky instrumentation that is carried throughout the entire track. “City” is quite the attention-getting song because it’s a lively, bold mix of Nguyen’s vocals, fast-paced instrumentation and experimentation with group harmonies in the chorus. The song builds steadily and abruptly stops, almost as if at the end of a sprint. But Nguyen crashes through the pause and continues the feisty rhythm until the very end of the track. The song is spirited and refreshing because of Nguyen’s musical experimentation with the track’s instrumentation, vocals and group harmonies.
“Holy Roller” is another great track on the album. The instrumentation on the track is decidedly more sultry than most of the other songs on the album, and that gives the song a little extra dose of sass. The oriental quality to the rhythm and instrumentation creates a very unique foundation for the track that makes the song a stand-out because it sounds very different than anything else on the album. Together with Nguyen’s vocals and the lyrics, “Holy Roller” is a refreshing track that shows the maturity with which Nguyen experimented with her sound. The song still possesses all the qualities that make Thao & The Get Down Stay Down unique, yet Nguyen takes a step past the indie-folk formula to find something new, and she achieves another great track.
“Kindness be Conceived” is Nguyen’s collaboration with Joanna Newsom. The track takes on a more folk sound with its simple, guitar-driven rhythm and sounds a bit more country-twang than any of Nguyen’s other work on the album. Another toe-tapping track, the song finds a great deal of its allure in its catchy lyrics. But the pairing of Nguyen’s sturdy middle-range voice and Newsom’s high, unconventional vocals creates this extraordinary combination that teeters precariously on the cliff of not being complementary; however, Nguyen and Newsom manage to keep their vocals from competing, and the two singers find a happy balance.
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down’s “We the Common” is a magnificently catchy indie folk-rock album that highlights Nguyen’s plucky vocal attitude. The album is a beautifully diverse 37-minute record that will impress even the toughest critic with its candid playfulness and poised experimentalism.
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Follow Nikki Torriente on Twitter: @nikkitorriente
