Thao and The Get Down Stay Down: 2016

I've got nothing but respect and admiration for Thao Nguyen.  On her new record, A Man Alive, she put herself in a vulnerable position exploring the grief, sadness, anger—and whatever else was there—in her relationship with her father.  Nguyen points to her close friend and producer Merrill Garbus (of tUnE-yArDs) as a key to finding the fearlessness required for tackling that kind of lyrical content. The reaction to the album from critics and fans alike has been overwhelmingly positive.

For this fourth album from Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Nguyen said the sonic plan was to rely on beats, bass and loops as a foundation and introduce other elements, like her guitar playing, almost as if they were being sampled. This approach gave her the chance to acknowledge the influence that hip hop has on her music that past albums have perhaps not. It also was the perfect complement to the cadences that have always been a strength of Nguyen's talk-singing and singing. To paraphrase Thao, the music is imbued with joy and vitality that people can dance to, and connect with, on a physical level.

In this FUV Live session, enjoy the singular sounds of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down featuring guitarist Charlie Glenn, bassist Adam Thompson, and Johanna Kunin on keys.

[recorded: 4/14/16]