Something Like Sound

In a music scene filled to the brim with singer/songwriters who experiment with new sounds, Andrew Bird stands out for his straightforward style. Some critics placed Bird’s 2007 release Armchair Apocrypha on their top ten lists, a good reason to give it a listen.

Armchair Apocrypha begins with “Fiery Crash,” an up-tempo number with energetic, slightly-distorted guitars, and Bird’s subtle voice. “Imitosis” follows, but shifts into a European mix of strings and classical instruments, surrounded by slow Latin beats. Andrew Bird refuses to be categorized as he pushes into the deep middle part of the album. “Heretics” through “Armchairs” sound like a conglomeration of The Shins, Coldplay, and Wilco, but Bird still adds a component that is entirely original.

Radiohead-esque rhythms and falsetto vocals appear on “Simple X.” The last part of the record is heralded by “The Supine,” a baroque mix of violin plucking, cellos, and acoustic guitar. “Cataracts” follows and maintains an incredibly stripped down sound. The album ends on an instrumental note with “Yawny At The Apocalypse,” a mix of recordings of wild birds, along with a constant background of cello, ending on a natural tone.

As far as lyrical content is concerned, Bird focuses on traditional folk concepts. Many of the songs sound like conversations tempered with poetry. There are no overly catchy choruses on this CD, however this can be seen as a plus. This is not the type of music you would expect to hear on a top 40 pop radio station. Taken all together, the disc has a timeless quality, heard through Bird’s lyrics and choice of instrumentation. This album is a refreshing listen for fans of more traditional modern folk-indie because Bird remains true to using natural sounds while avoiding too much experimentation.