Lady and Bird is a somewhat mystifying collaboration between Keren Ann (an Audiofile favorite, check our exclusive download of "Que N'ai-Je?") and Bardi Johannsson of the Icelandic band Bang Gang. At first blush it comes off as an odd children's album, but that impression evaporates quickly enough as you peruse the liner notes and read comments like "For those we loved and always wondered: yes, we had sex all the time!" and listen on to discover the standout track is a cover of the M*A*S*H theme "Suicide Is Painless." It turns out to be a loose concept album about "two curious, disembodied creatures who are stuck in the bodies of a pair of grownups," but frankly I'd never have picked that up without the help of the accompanying press release. Some of the songs seem a bit tossed off, but others, like "Walk Real Slow," are exquisite, and touched with an eeriness that does interesting things to the strangely knowing innocence of Ann's voice.
-- T.B.
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