The Bird and the Bee

Sat., Nov. 17, 9 p.m., $15, with Orphan Family and Charlie Wadhams, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., northstarrocks.com.

by John Vettese

rock/pop

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Like neo-dance diva Imogen Heap, Greg Kurstin and Inara George favor titillating electronic beats and dreamy vocals. So what the hell is their band, the Bird and the Bee, doing on jazz label Blue Note? Catch a performance and it makes sense. On tour this spring, the duo replaced their drum machine with the brushstick-wielding Joey Waronker, dialing down the dynamics of their self-titled debut and bringing Kurstin's keys to the forefront. A warm, mellow midrange emerged, recalling loungey easy-listening records from decades past. The ensemble still brought the beat when it was appropriate (in the Grey's Anatomy hit "Again and Again," for instance), and so it goes with their new Please Clap Your Hands EP. "Polite Dance Song" is sprightly and clever ("I beg of you to get up and dance"), and "Man" rocks a great harpsichord groove and a feisty tempo. But to really remind us from whence they come, the set closes with a spot-on cover of the Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love," replacing Barry Gibb's painful, nasal falsetto with George's hip, stylized alto. If it doesn't become your guilty pleasure, you've got no soul.

Sat., Nov. 17, 9 p.m., $15, with Orphan Family and Charlie Wadhams, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., northstarrocks.com.