The trick is, you do not get on that interstate bus

Friends, do you need a good kick in the ass as much as I do? I love this time of year, but damn if it isn't exhausting. You've got the whole friends and family thing, the whole shopping thing, and, if you're in any way affiliated with the music media (or even if you're not), you may have the year-end Best-Of list thing. This was a great year for music, but not a great year for sleep.

Enter Thao Nguyen, who, with her band the Get Down Stay Down, is about to release a really enjoyable record called We Brave Bee Stings And All. This is Nguyen's debut for Kill Rock Stars.

Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down - Bag Of Hammers.

I would love this even if I didn't need aural caffeine, but since I do, I'm loving it all the more. Nguyen, on this track and elsewhere, has a great knack for using rhythm to make a song take off. She reminds me of Modest Mouse in this way - I recognize the same syncopation in, say, "Float On." It's like the rhythm section for a military funk band.

The Virginia-bred Nguyen is only 23, which I mention because it means we'll hopefully hear lots of other great things from her in the future.

You can get We Brave Bee Stings And All on January 29.