Andrew Bird and Fat Possum: a new species of music
30/03/07 11:10
By SAM LADACH-BARK
The musical chameleon that is Andrew Bird has once again pumped out a full-length solo album, his third in four years.
Armchair Apocrypha is his first release with Fat Possum Records, and Bird is still strengthening the indie/folk style he introduced with 2003's Weather Systems.
Inside Armchair's intricate blend of strings and percussion, one finds Bird able to translate sorrow via an undeniable up-beat tempo. He sings "We are basically alone" on the "Imitosis" track. But its upbeat xylophone and a bright violin make this fate seem almost heroic.
Past albums have been heavier on the violin strings. But in Armchair, guitar strings finally find a happy balance. "Heretics" combines junky electric guitar with an Asian-sounding violin that places Bird's music in a genre all its own.
A happy return on many tracks is Bird's vibrant whistle, of which he seems to have almost inhuman control. In "Sythian Empires" it works to cool and control the building electric guitar and add further musical emotion. His vocals, which have developed significantly in this effort, can be quite hard to place. They seem to fall somewhere between Jeff Buckley and Stephen Malkmus. Within tracks like "Dark Matter," his smoky laments take center stage with a commanding presence unheard on previous releases.
Thematically Armchair Apocrypha feels more complete and less erratic. Bird has displayed his talent in a plethora of different genres, from zydeco to classical. For Armchair he has chosen an off-pop indie/folk mood wonderfully fueled by lyrics that dream-scape an all-too-familiar present day. Close collaboration with electronic artist Martin Dosh helped hold this album together. But Bird still leans primarily on his talented vocals and instrumentation.
Unlike many other singer-songwriters of today, Bird has managed to consistently release music that's both interesting and in small ways groundbreaking.
For a listen and a listing of Bird's upcoming shows, go here.
Grade: B+
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