I went into this album cold.
I mean, 100% cold. Blind. I’d never heard of the album We the Common. I’d never heard of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down. In fact, I knew pretty much nothing about the musical tastes this week’s suggester Jay Valle had. So, when I say I had no preconceived notions, I’m being very literal.
I expected something hip hop. Maybe even rap. Thao. Is that guy’s name? Or like…some kind of stage name? The Get Down Stay Down? I was intrigued to say the least – and very ready to be surprised. Whether the surprise would be pleasant or nasty was yet to be seen.
The music almost feels like it has no rules…what seems like quirky guitar riffs with no importance quickly become your favorite parts of the song. (Jay Valle)
I was in luck. I loved this record. From the first 30 seconds of the title track, I was hooked. Truth be told, I listened to this album three full times the first day, which isn’t too hard; it’s only a hair over a half hour. Categorizing We the Common is difficult. There’s a super punchy kick drum reminiscent of hip hop, the alternately silky and impassioned voice of Thao Nguyen (who turned out to be a very vocally talented female) and bits and pieces of anything from banjo to xylophone.
One of my favorite parts about an album like We the Common is the track length. They’re not so short that you don’t get the sustenance you want, but you’re never too far from your favorite part of the song. And boy, is this album full of tasty little hooks and riffs. The pseudo-scatting that happens through almost every track will dig itself so far into your temporal lobe that you can’t remember what else you’d whistle under your breath or tap your toe to pre-Thao & the Get Down Stay Down.
And why would you want to?
The single off this record is “Holy Roller” and rightfully so. Although not one of my initial favorites, I found myself humming the chorus to myself and itching to listen it throughout the day. The following track, “Kindness Be Conceived” is a beautiful little folk ditty that really shows the nuance of Thao Nguyen’s voice. I’m – to be honest – not really one for female vocalists. I find that sometimes they tend to overdo it (not that there aren’t plenty of male leads who do the same.) But Thao is just the right amount of strength, simplicity and well-placed flair.
As mentioned before, there are musical earworms galore. The lyricism is also just as premediated, with entire stanzas leaking into your mind and haunting you all day. But, like, a Casper haunting. Or a Patrick Swayze haunting. A good haunting. Particularly, the ending lines of “City” find their way past the tip of my tongue quite often:
Rest and be strong
Wash and be clean
Start a new year
Whenever you need
All things considered, it’s a really great album. If there are any misgivings, I personally think that the track placement could’ve been improved. It starts off with about four of the five initial tracks being big standouts, and then the album kind of trails. Not that the later songs aren’t good, but the openers are just so strong that it’s hard to compete.
That being said, I would recommend both getting down AND staying down with We the Common.
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Released: February 5th, 2013
Suggested by: Jay Valle
For project details and to suggest your own favorite album, visit the intro page.