Know Better Learn Faster

AlbumOct 13 / 200913 songs, 37m 29s
Indie Pop Folk Pop
Popular

Thao\'s idiosyncrasies come alive in her darkest moments on this 2009 release. The singer/songwriter leads her band down a thorny path shaped by post-breakup blues, but you\'d hardly guess it from the surface. The buoyant hand-clapping opener flows right into the upbeat, horn-fueled \"Cool Yourself,\" then parades into the seductive rock waltz of \"When We Swam.\" Still, underneath that lively chamber folk-pop is a heart in mourning, something Thao slowly unveils with soft banjo picks and silky strings on slow-burning \"The Give.\"

7.8 / 10

After a personal, sometimes exuberant debut, Thao Nguyen's follow-up is the post-party comedown, a collection of hard-learned lessons.

8.6 / 10

It begins with a threat, bare and ominous...

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US singer-songwriter Thao Nguyen's second album in collaboration with The Get Down Stay Down is a singular creature: a break-up record which somehow evokes the kaleidoscopic exhilaration of falling in love.

7.0 / 10

A review of the new Thao With The Get Down Stay Down album, Know Better Learn Faster out on Kill Rock Stars.

6 / 10

Following a highly acclaimed breakthrough, this fourth album from Thao With The Get Down Stay Down has it all: skilful arrangements, sexy but painfully honest breakup lyrics, Sufjan Stevens’ produce

8 / 10

In early 2009 the venerable Kill Rock Stars was once again rewarded for good taste when Thao Nguyen's much lauded second album became the label's best...

60 %

Thao Nguyen’s voice dominates the new album Know Better Learn Faster so thoroughly, that it’s easy to see why it’s Thao and The Get Down Stay Down, and not just the latter.

Know Better Learn Faster Kill Rock Stars ***

6 / 10