Track Marks: How The Bird & The Bee Became This Week’s Biggest Band In The World

Welcome to another edition of Track Marks, in which your Idolators perform an autopsy on the latest band burning up the MP3-blogger charts.

Artist: The Bird & The Bee Hometown: Los Angeles Album: The Bird & The Bee First blog mention: A July 21, 2006 mention on Loudersoft. The Build-Up: A slow-but-steady trickle of mentions last year, including raves on Rock Insider, Howard Who?, and Each Note Secure. The Dam-Break: Blue Note released The Bird & The Bee in late January, which no doubt helped the album flood the blogozone throughout February (it helps that bandmates Inara George and Greg Kurstin have both built up solo-career followings of their own). Odds of Backlash: 3-1. In addition to all the online love, the duo has also received plenty of attention from big-name magazines, which can only lead to a closing-credit slot on ABC’s Brothers & Sisters, and thus immediate over-exposure. Are They Worthy?: There’s no avoiding the fact that TB&TB make the kind of wisp-pop that usually drives us crazy. But while the album can play it way too cloy at times (“Fucking Boyfriend”), there are just enough genuinely pretty ditties–such as “I Hate Camera,” and “La La La,” below–to balance things out.

The Bird & The Bee – I Hate Camera [MP3, link expired] The Bird & The Bee – La La La [MP3, link expired] The Bird & The Bee – Fucking Boyfriend [MP3, link expired] The Bird & The Bee [MySpace]