With Armchair Apocrypha, Andrew Bird takes another developmental departure from his previous works, though not nearly in as drastic a fashion as his previous album-to-album jumps in style. This has become expected of Bird and is one of the merits that make each of his releases highly anticipated. Where in the past Bird has impressed listeners with his violin artistry and vocal delivery, and later his use of electronic looping and whistling, with Armchair he allows the songs to breath more on their own, using the aforementioned elements to blend into the structural integrity of the songs rather than predominately featuring each component. This is not to say his previous approaches were ineffective, but rather an observation that is one of the essential reasons Armchair Apocrypha holds together more cohesively than Bird's previous outings. Perhaps the heavy inclusion of drummer and electric pianist Martin Dosh has much to do with this cohesion; it is the first time Dosh and Bird have teamed up on a recording, though the two had been touring together with regularity for a couple of years previous to this. Dosh provides excellent propulsion as a drummer and his Rhodes/Wurlitzer playing adds a deep and dynamic warmth to the entire album. With a few other guests, most noticeably bassist Chris Morrissey's playing on five of the 12 tracks, Armchair is the first album since the 2001 release of The Swimming Hour that feels like a band playing together rather than songs built in separate layers.
The majority of the album feels so much more relaxed than much of Bird's previous works, due much in part to his almost laconic vocal delivery throughout. It's the first album that captures Bird's much lauded live approach, almost as if he had hit some completely transcendental place mentally, forgotten his place in the studio, and instead just sang while in some distant reverie -- the way one sings unencumbered while washing the dishes in an empty house and, unknowingly, hones his artistic blade cleaning dirty knife by dirty knife. The most excellent example of this delivery is on the majestically sprawling "Armchairs," a complex and dynamic number that unfolds cinematically in that it entirely captures attention and does not relent through nearly seven minutes, even without a single repeating melody. It is only fitting, then, that in the first climax of "Armchairs," Bird belts out, "Time, it's a crooked bow!" over a dramatic musical descent. And he's right, the seven minutes in which "Armchairs" unfolds are so captivating, the time feels cut in half. That said, the entirety of Armchair Apocrypha does not completely have that level of looseness and adventure. "Imitosis," a reworked version of "I" from the 2003 release Weather Systems, holds some of the stiffness of Bird's previous recordings which, to be fair, did not seem so stiff before Armchair Apocrypha was released. Still, as likeable a revision as "Imitosis" is, the song feels somewhat out of place alongside the bulk of these tracks and, being the second album in a row where Bird has updated a song from Weather Systems ("Skin Is, My" from The Mysterious Production of Eggs was an update of "Skin" from Weather Systems), it is hard not to begin listening to his back catalog searching for possibly half-baked ideas. This feeling generally dissipates when listening to songs such as "Armchairs," the undeniably catchy "Plasticities" (that Bird's delivery of the chorus' lyric "We'll fight..." sounds like "Whale fight..." only makes the song more endearing), or the drum-loop based "Simple X," co-written by Dosh, but is notable enough to contemplate whether or not Bird was confident in his previous albums or simply felt inspired to remake the past.
It would be negligent not to mention the careful engineering and mixing that so clearly went into the making of Armchair Apocrypha, as it is, sonically, the most pleasing work not only that Bird has done, but that has come out in some time. The guitars and electric pianos are decidedly rich in tone and though at any given moment there are endless shifting layers of vocals, violins, guitars and more, Armchair Apocrypha never feels cluttered. Certainly, this is due in part to the exceptional arrangements, but also credit is due to the wonderful placement of the instruments in the mix throughout the recording. This, in part with the further adventurous nature of Bird's developments as a songwriter and performer make Armchair Apocrypha the finest recording he has made to date, an impressive achievement considering his remarkable catalog thus far.
As soon as I sat down knowing that I intended to write about Andrew Bird, I smiled. The man has the kind of charisma that no one can touch, love or leave him, his type of bravado can only be matched recently by the likes of Stephen Malkmus and/or Rufus Wainwright. You certainly don't need to have heard Bird's previous albums to fully appreciate Armchair Apocrypha, but as additions to your libr...
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I'm not sure where to start. Things didn't go so well for Andrew Bird at Saturday night's show, but it wasn't all his fault. In fact, it was mostly not his fault. There were numerous technical difficulties, which is a nice way of putting it. The Electric Factory has shitty sound to start with, but throughout his entire performance things kept coming apart. His main mic kept cutting ...
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Wow. I just got home from the performance of Andrew Bird and his band at the Warfield, and let me say it was an amazing, beautiful experience. So lush, so realized, so great. He plays a amazing violin, whistles like his namesake animal, and sounds like Jeff Buckley when he sings. I feel like I went to church, seriously. Couldn't wait to Mog it, I don't even have my jacket off, that good.Anyone ...
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We're excited to be posting 6 live videos from Andrew Bird's performance at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN on May 11th, 2007. Songs featured include: Imitosis, Spare Ohs, Why?, Dear Dirty, Plasticities, and Dark Matter. If you haven't heard Andrew Bird before be sure to check it out. This guy can whistle, sing, play guitar AND violin simultaneously! Well, almost. Check them out, you won't be d...
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What an original talent this guy is. Angelic voice, clever lyrics, unique songs, violin, guitar, xylophone, and probably the most impressive whistler on the planet. I've never heard anyone incorporate whistling so effectively. He sounds like some sci fi avian species from an alternate dimension. Just three players on stage create a lush orchestra. The drummer programs loops, then plays over th...
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People have been giving me shit for not posting here. So here it goes, a tiny little post.When I listen to Yawny At the Apocalypse by Andrew Bird, I picture a man remembering his perished love. Funny how songs with no lyrics can leave you with a mental image of some story untold. Because now, I have this imaginary man, whose story I don't know. I can only wonder, and maybe that's the beauty...
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Sometimes just a fantastic "album cover":http://mog.com/tybees/blog_post/44314 will make me want to love a record before I even hear it. Much like a music video can make us "see" a song in a completely different way, an album cover can convey a true visual idea of the music contained inside. In the case of Andrew Bird's ??Armchair Apocrypha??, it's subtly electric, ultra-classy, and elegant. Th...
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Just a quickie inaugural post on an Andrew Bird song I just downloaded. It seems to be an outtake from the Armchair Apocrypha sessions, and a very lovely one at that. I can see why it might have been left off the AA; it would fit in much better with the latter half of Weather Systems. Anyone who who heard Andrew Bird's Fingerlings 3, might recognize melodic bits of "The Water Jet Cilice" floati...
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A friend of mine gave me a copy of "Armchair Apocrypha," the new Andrew Bird album that's due out March 20. Wow, folks, it's grand. Simply grand. And don't worry, I fully plan on buying it when it comes out. I haven't been this excited about a new record in, well, only months, I suppose. Those fans of Devandra Barnhart, Rufus Wainwright and even Sufjan Stevens who have yet to check him out owe ...
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Sometimes just a fantastic "album cover":http://mog.com/tybees/blog_post/44314 will make me want to love a record before I even hear it. Much like a music video can make us "see" a song in a completely different way, an album cover can convey a true visual idea of the music contained inside. In the case of Andrew Bird's ??Armchair Apocrypha??, it's subtly electric, ultra-classy, and elegant. Th...
More >
I have an extra pass to a private KFOG concert tomorrow May 1 at 12:30 PM - if anyone would like to attendHit me with a MOGMAILMAKE MINE MOG!
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Chicago native folk-rocker Andrew Bird, an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist released in March ??Armchair Apocrypha?? (Fat Possum), Bird's first studio album since the critically acclaimed ??The Mysterious Production of Eggs?? (2005) and is now prepared to do the leg work in support of. Continuing his eco-friendly efforts, Bird will hit the road aboard a bio-diesel tour bus for select dates in t...
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What an original talent this guy is. Angelic voice, clever lyrics, unique songs, violin, guitar, xylophone, and probably the most impressive whistler on the planet. I've never heard anyone incorporate whistling so effectively. He sounds like some sci fi avian species from an alternate dimension. Just three players on stage create a lush orchestra. The drummer programs loops, then plays over th...
More >
People have been giving me shit for not posting here. So here it goes, a tiny little post.When I listen to Yawny At the Apocalypse by Andrew Bird, I picture a man remembering his perished love. Funny how songs with no lyrics can leave you with a mental image of some story untold. Because now, I have this imaginary man, whose story I don't know. I can only wonder, and maybe that's the beauty...
More >
tho Andrew Bird didn't have a true LA show (no, Coachella doesn't count), he made a pit-stop at Amoeba in Hollywood tonight. thaaaaank goodness! it's not the best place to see him play, but it's still enough. there seemed to be plenty of technical problems for them to get through, but it was pretty cool watching Andrew improvise his way through them. he is one seriously talented guy. as is Mart...
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A friend of mine gave me a copy of "Armchair Apocrypha," the new Andrew Bird album that's due out March 20. Wow, folks, it's grand. Simply grand. And don't worry, I fully plan on buying it when it comes out. I haven't been this excited about a new record in, well, only months, I suppose. Those fans of Devandra Barnhart, Rufus Wainwright and even Sufjan Stevens who have yet to check him out owe ...
More >
Wow. I just got home from the performance of Andrew Bird and his band at the Warfield, and let me say it was an amazing, beautiful experience. So lush, so realized, so great. He plays a amazing violin, whistles like his namesake animal, and sounds like Jeff Buckley when he sings. I feel like I went to church, seriously. Couldn't wait to Mog it, I don't even have my jacket off, that good.Anyone ...
More >
We're excited to be posting 6 live videos from Andrew Bird's performance at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN on May 11th, 2007. Songs featured include: Imitosis, Spare Ohs, Why?, Dear Dirty, Plasticities, and Dark Matter. If you haven't heard Andrew Bird before be sure to check it out. This guy can whistle, sing, play guitar AND violin simultaneously! Well, almost. Check them out, you won't be d...
More >
COTV Tags: Andrew Bird , Spare-Ohs , Captain Obvious
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As soon as I sat down knowing that I intended to write about Andrew Bird, I smiled. The man has the kind of charisma that no one can touch, love or leave him, his type of bravado can only be matched recently by the likes of Stephen Malkmus and/or Rufus Wainwright. You certainly don't need to have heard Bird's previous albums to fully appreciate Armchair Apocrypha, but as additions to your libr...
More >
I'm not sure where to start. Things didn't go so well for Andrew Bird at Saturday night's show, but it wasn't all his fault. In fact, it was mostly not his fault. There were numerous technical difficulties, which is a nice way of putting it. The Electric Factory has shitty sound to start with, but throughout his entire performance things kept coming apart. His main mic kept cutting ...
More >
ialing down the electric-guitar histrionics that characterized his most recent LP, Armchair Apocrypha , Andrew Bird brings a pronounced delicacy to Noble Beast. The result of a meticulous recording process (the evolution of Bird's songs from hummed tunes to recorded products can be followed on the blog he wrote last...
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Just a quickie inaugural post on an Andrew Bird song I just downloaded. It seems to be an outtake from the Armchair Apocrypha sessions, and a very lovely one at that. I can see why it might have been left off the AA; it would fit in much better with the latter half of Weather Systems. Anyone who who heard Andrew Bird's Fingerlings 3, might recognize melodic bits of "The Water Jet Cilice" floati...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Fiery Crash |
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| 2 Imitosis |
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| 3 Plasticities |
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| 4 Heretics |
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| 5 Armchairs |
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| 6 Darkmatter |
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| 7 Simple X |
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| 8 The Supine |
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| 9 Cataracts |
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| 10 Scythian Empires |
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| 11 Spare-Ohs |
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| 12 Yawny at the Apocalypse |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Armchair Apocrypha")
