Classical chamber groups have been invading pop music in a serious way lately. The string quartet Osso just released an album with Sufjan Stevens; the Tosca Quartet has recorded with Alejandro Escovedo and David Byrne; and now the Portland Cello Quartet has released "The Thao & Justin Power Sessions," a model of how a chamber group's close-interval harmonies and luscious tone can work in a rock-and-roll context.

West Coast indie-rockers Thao Nguyen and Justin Power each sing four original songs on the album, and the Oregon cellists exploit the tension between sprightly melodies and plangent yearnings. It's a challenge for classically trained musicians to give a rock-and-roll push. They pull it off, however, on Nguyen's "Beat" and sound loose and raw on Power's "Cut the Rope."

Nguyen, who grew up in Northern Virginia also has a new album with her band, Thao With the Get Down Stay Down. On "Know Better Learn Faster" the irresistible hooks and tremendous longing remain. "Sad people dance, too," Nguyen mumbles at the beginning of "Easy." Her ability to translate the disappointments and dislocations of post-college years into memorable melodies and compelling rhythms makes her one of the best young songwriters around.

-- Geoffrey Himes, Weekend (Nov. 2009)