Thao!
I've been looking forward to this one for a long time.
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Know Better, Learn Faster.
I loved Thao's last record, We Brave Bee Stings And All, which jumped around like it was up too early on Saturday morning. I wondered what would come next: more of the same? A collection of somber ballads? A funk record?
Lucky for us, it's all of the above. I hate the cliché of a band or artist "growing up", but that's kind of what happened here. Thao Nguyen must have realized, as much as lots of us would love to hear her great breakout track "Bag Of Hammers" on every record, that sticking to that formula would eventually tire everyone out. Her new album Know Better Learn Faster is instead a big step forward, with moments of calm among bouts of emotional confusion. It's very, very good.
The record comes out on Kill Rock Stars on October 13. Pre-order and get excited.