Thao With The Get Down Stay Down — Know Better Learn Faster

Thao Nguyen's new album, Know Better Learn Faster, is supposed to examine what it's like to have one's heart broken, but its music screams with happiness. The album is a fast-paced indie pop gem that bounces along happily.

You'd never know the album was about getting one's heart trampled on. Whether it's the persistent handclaps on "The Clap" and "When We Swam" or the bright brass sections on "Cool Yourself," Know Better Learn Faster comes across as one of the happiest discs of the year. Sure, most of the lyrics are about getting over someone, but that's hard to notice when the music's so damn peppy. In fact, you only really get the idea that this album is meant to be about something sad on "Easy," a dancey number full of electronic beats, which Nguyen begins with the words "Sad people dance, too."

Those are words worth remembering and it's clear Nguyen's a woman who believes it's more important to have fun and move on in life instead of sitting around, griping and moaning and dwelling in the past. Good on her for it.

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