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On the Shelf 193: Andrew Bird
Jun. 24th, 2019 07:39 amAndrew Bird’s “Sisyphus” is a perfect song and made me seek out the new album from an artist I try to keep an eye on.
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What I found is my expectations from an artist who made an impact 20 years ago have changed.
The Mysterious Production of Eggs (and predecessors) were revelatory. Not having context for Bird, we looked at his previous experience in Squirrel Nut Zippers and classified him as a weird post- Beefheart/Waits noister which fit quite well with a movement of the day. Calexico, DeVotchka, Beirut, The Decemberists, and especially Arcade Fire were part of this Brave New World.
In 20 some years of his career, Bird has been all over the place like few other artists. His most recent release was an instrumental recording made in the Los Angeles River. Interesting to me, he has built an audience that is dedicated in a world where music is increasingly disposable, and a sound that is not always immediately accessible.
The Bird on the new album reminds me of a quirky singer-songwriter like Sufjan Stevens or Rufus Wainwright- neither better or worse- just different.
That the album is called My Finest Work Yet (and he is displayed as David’s Marat on the cover) is an ambitious statement. Critics seem to cover the spectrum on this, mainly deciding that it is not as good as his early work.
After several listens, I find the question silly. I think “Sisyphus” towers over the other songs, but of course, it would. There really is not a low point in the album and it generally carries strong through the (virtual, perhaps) first and second sides, especially in the middle.
Lyrically strong, the music is important here, and he gives the music a chance to breathe, without wearing out a welcome. There is a variety of sounds, though he never just genre-jumps because he can, like a band like Foxygen.
Bird has been around long enough that it’s possible the Indie Press will short change him at the end of the year, but this is a pretty good one.
( Collapse )
What I found is my expectations from an artist who made an impact 20 years ago have changed.
The Mysterious Production of Eggs (and predecessors) were revelatory. Not having context for Bird, we looked at his previous experience in Squirrel Nut Zippers and classified him as a weird post- Beefheart/Waits noister which fit quite well with a movement of the day. Calexico, DeVotchka, Beirut, The Decemberists, and especially Arcade Fire were part of this Brave New World.
In 20 some years of his career, Bird has been all over the place like few other artists. His most recent release was an instrumental recording made in the Los Angeles River. Interesting to me, he has built an audience that is dedicated in a world where music is increasingly disposable, and a sound that is not always immediately accessible.
The Bird on the new album reminds me of a quirky singer-songwriter like Sufjan Stevens or Rufus Wainwright- neither better or worse- just different.
That the album is called My Finest Work Yet (and he is displayed as David’s Marat on the cover) is an ambitious statement. Critics seem to cover the spectrum on this, mainly deciding that it is not as good as his early work.
After several listens, I find the question silly. I think “Sisyphus” towers over the other songs, but of course, it would. There really is not a low point in the album and it generally carries strong through the (virtual, perhaps) first and second sides, especially in the middle.
Lyrically strong, the music is important here, and he gives the music a chance to breathe, without wearing out a welcome. There is a variety of sounds, though he never just genre-jumps because he can, like a band like Foxygen.
Bird has been around long enough that it’s possible the Indie Press will short change him at the end of the year, but this is a pretty good one.
