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Andrew Bird’s last album Armchair Apocrypha was his breakthrough record. After releasing six albums and making 40 guest appearances on the albums of others, finally he began to resonate. That’s right, some people resonate at day one, others just happen to take a decade or so. And so it was with Armchair Apocrypha - suddenly 100,000 people sat up and took notice of Bird’s American folk rock sensibilities.
A year of TV appearances later (think Dave Letterman and the like) and Andrew Bird is back with his eighth album Noble Beast. Thankfully, he hasn’t been corrupted by the irresistible pull of commercialism. He has remained as diverse and musically innovative as ever. If anything he has found a new sense of musical maturity and he continues to delight with his lyrical wordplays.
So how to describe his music, well firstly his voice ranges from Ryan Adams to Thom Yorke (check out ‘Not a Robot, but a Ghost’). At times it is uncanny how familiar his voice can sound.
Then there is that whole thing about being a "multi-instrumentalist"... Firstly, Bird was classically trained in the violin since the age of four, but he has many other strings to his bow. There are guitars aplenty, mandolins, glockenspiels and whistling, oh boy does he love to whistle.
The good news is it all works. Noble Beast is a complete musical journey from start to finish. There are sounds and delights aplenty as you wander the lush soundscapes that Bird creates. If you have a moment, try album opener 'Oh No' or the marvellous 'Fitz and the Dizzyspells', there is simply no better background to a lazy summers day.
Essential Tracks
Oh No
Fitz and the Dizzyspells
Not a Robot, but a Ghost
Anonanimal
Full Track Listing
1. Oh No (4:21)
2. Masterswarm (6:36)
3. Fitz and the Dizzyspells (3:37)
4. Effigy (5:06)
5. Tenuousness (3:51)
6. Nomenclature (2:54)
7. Ouo (0:20)
8. Not a Robot, but a Ghost (5:37)
9. Unfolding Fans (0:58)
10. Anonanimal (4:47)
11. Natural Disaster (4:19)
12. The Privateers (3:24)
13. Souverian (7:18)
14. On Ho! (1:08)
15. Section 8 City (7:41)
16. 10-You-Us (3:32)
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