Andrew Bird Discography Reviewed
 

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I absolutely adore this man. I think he is unbelievably talented and he's one of my favorite current artists, so I've decided to review his discography. He is a classically trained violinist, which is the center instrument for most of his music, but he is also proficient on the guitar, glockenspiel and whistling. He started out playing less contemporary folk and jazz music and has progressed to alternative/indie and experimental music.

His discography consists of:

Self-released:
Music of Hair (1996)

with "Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire"
Thrills (1998)
Oh! The Graneur (1999)
The Swimming Hour (2001)

Solo Career:
Weather Systems (2003)
The Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005)
Armchair Apocrypha (2007)
Noble Beast (2009)

Three Live Albums:
Fingerlings (2002)
Fingerlings 2 (2004)
Fingerlings 3 (2006)

Andrew Bird - Music of Hair (1996)

Fresh out of college, (Northwestern University) Andrew Bird was playing music around Chicago in clubs and fairs and such. He played with the band Charlie Nobody for a brief period of time. He was also featured on several albums from swing-jazz band, Squirrel Nut Zippers, which was a period of musical growth for Bird and introduced him to some new music. In 1996 he self-produced and released his first album, Music of Hair when he was only 23.

This album is very different from Bird’s later career. This music is not very contemporary. It includes several folk songs that are borderline bluegrass as well as many tracks that showcase Bird’s virtuosity on the violin. Nuthinduan Waltz and Ambivalence Waltz are folk tunes that have some twangy violin and Bird crooning the solemn lyrics. Oh So Insistent is a song played on solo violin with some guitar backing, which sounds like it belongs in a Renaissance fair. St. Francis Reel is an old Irish tune played wonderfully on violin. The two tracks that follow are also Bird on solo violin. Minor Beatrice is a highlight of the album. At roughly ten minutes long, it is a jazz-swing jam session featuring some nice guitar work and bowing as well as pizzicato on the violin. The album closes with a somber jazz song with Bird on the violin soloing over bass and drums.

This album is not a representation at all of what is to come from Andrew Bird. It probably won’t appeal to everyone as it is not the most contemporary music but I still think it is an interesting album with some great violin work. This is where Bird showcased everything he’s learned from his long classical training on the violin. If you are looking to get into him, this is probably the last thing you should listen as his most recent release sounds nothing at all like this. But still, a solid album.

Nice review :)

I think I've got just about his whole discography, but I've yet to get familiar with most of his albums. I discovered Andrew Bird because of my interest in Squirrel Nut Zippers and my entry point was "Thrills" (which also features members of SNZ) which has quite a few songs I like.

Looking forward to the rest!

Andrew Bird is a genius and a virtuoso on violin. J loren of HURT ( who was a classically trained violin player ) once described Bird as one of his influences. Not too many people are familiar with him and his music is not really 'mainstream' that is why I was thrilled to see this review here! Kudos to you for writing this for us! Who here remembers the Squirrel Nut Zippers?

I appreciate your passion for ecentric artists and for the courage to expose listeners here to music that may be out of their "comfort zone." Well written review. Thank you. :-)

I'm pretty sure that so far, I'm the only one who has reviewed a SNZ album (on my journal) .. Other than that, I think there's just the rare occasional mention here on MB. More people should check them out!

I really like your tastes in music. That is refreshing to see! So many of the people that I know are trapped inside a genre or band for life...acceptable if that band is Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd but completely unacceptable to me if it's Fall Out Boy or Nickelback.
:-)

Nice work manny : )
Unfortunately I don't very much enjoy mr. bird but after you're a few albums in, I'll check back and read a few of those reviews. Maybe ill find something interesting.

Thanks for the input! You can expect the coming to reviews to be a little more in depth as there is not much to be said about Music for Hair.

I have two Squirrel Nut Zippers albums and they're such fun albums. I love the "swing revival" thing they have going on, it makes you want to get up and dance.

Andrew Bird started his band Bowl of Fire by teaming up with drummer Kevin O’Donnell and bassist Josh Hirsch of Charlie Nobody. Katharine Walen (singer) and guitarist James Mathus of Squirrel Nut Zippers also appear on this album. Bird’s new band signed with the Rykodisc record label to release their first album Thrills in 1998.

Thrills takes us back to pre-war jazz and swing. There is some gypsy-jazz and Django Reinhardt influence on several tracks with Stephane Grappelli–esque violin work by Bird. The album consists of all original songs composed by Andrew Bird save for the fifth and last track. The album opens with a melancholic jazz song that sounds like it would suit the streets of New Orleans. Jack Fine’s wailing trumpet and Bird’s somewhat angry vocals make Minor Stab one of the best tracks on the album. Idles of Swing is a laid back swing-jazz song that could fit right in with Django’s work. The next track is another swing song that is one of the more upbeat tracks of the album. Glass Figurine is a fun song with some excellent harmonies between the guitar and violin. Bird revisits a song from Music of Hair with Pathetique but it does not add much to the album. Depression-Pasillo is another high point of the album. It is an up-tempo track lead by a wonderful violin solo. Bird takes control of this track and completely leads the band with his violin solo. The next two tracks, 50 Pieces and A Woman’s Life and Love are again swing songs with gypsy jazz elements. Katharine Walen delivers some smooth jazzy vocals on the latter.

The second half of the album is not as strong as the first. So far the album has been an interesting and entertaining mix of laid back and upbeat swing songs with some gypsy jazz influence but the music eventually becomes a bit repetitive. Swedish Wedding March is a medieval sounding melody played by the solo violin. The next three tracks are some more upbeat swing songs. Bird again revisits a song from Music of Hair, Nuthinduan Waltz but this folk song sounds somewhat out of place. The last track is a well known bluegrass song on the guitar and violin pleasantly sung by Bird. There is a hidden track that is a long swing jam session to finish off the album.

This album is definitely not contemporary music but it is still an enjoyable and fun album. It is apparent that Bowl of Fire is a talented band and they are more versatile than their counterpart, Squirrel Nut Zippers. Bird demonstrates more of his violin virtuosity in this area of swing and jazz music. Bird’s vocals are not nearly as brilliant as his violin but that is soon to change. Thrills is a solid, fun album and somewhat of a warm up album for the masterpiece, in my opinion, that is Bowl of Fire’s next and final album, Oh! The Grandeur.

Oh! The Grandeur consists of similar music to Thrills, but this time the band has perfected their sound. With their base still being in swing and jazz there is also a sense of some alternative rock in several tracks on the album that give this a more contemporary feel. One thing that makes this album far superior to Thrills is that it never becomes repetitive. By not relying on the upbeat swing songs Oh! The Grandeur is an interesting listen from beginning to end. In my opinion this album is a masterpiece by Andrew Bird. The band line up is the same as the previous album: Andrew Bird – vocals, violin. James Mathus – guitar. Josh Hirsch – bass. Kevin O’Donnell – percussion. It was released in 1999 by Rykodisc record label.

The Bowl of Fire perfect what they attempted on Thrills with this album. The album is based in the similar swing and jazz of Thrills but there are no tracks that are lacking in anyway. The entire band delivers on swing tracks like Candy Shop and Coney Island Shuffle. There is some excellent drumming from O’Donnell on these songs. They are not contemporary but if this album came out when swing music was at its height I am sure Candy Shop would be a big hit.

The highlights from the album are three ballads. Beware has one of the most beautiful violin melodies Andrew Bird has composed. This track also features some unconventional sections that show some rock influence into this jazz song. The Confession, similarly to Beware, has another beautiful melody. What make this track stand out are Bird’s flawless vocals harmonized over the violin’s melody. Wait is my favorite song off the album. It is a magnificent jazz ballad with some of Bird’s best vocal work. The distant sounding violin and trumpet solos give the song an extremely melancholic atmosphere.

Tea & Thorazine and Idiot’s Genius are the closest this album comes to alternative rock. They demonstrate the new direction that Andrew Bird is taking in his music and he expands on this in his next album. Tea & Thorazine is still based in jazz but has unconventional electric violin that gives it a much more contemporary feel. Bird also demonstrates his unique lyrics that develop throughout his career. This song is inspired by his autistic brother’s experience with mental institutions: “you laugh like a banshee / gesticulate your delirium / they treat you like a corpse keep you full of candy lithium / what a dream life would seem if you could see / the world from inside an etch-a-sketch”

Oh! The Grandeur is the last album Andrew Bird will release that is only jazz and swing music. His next album will be a departure from this genre and launch his career in alternative/indie rock. Bird ended his period of jazz with an exceptional album on all levels.

Something new! With The Swimming Hour, Bowl of Fire mark an extreme departure from their old sound and take on a new sound creating the most eclectic record released by Andrew Bird. This album defines the word eclectic; there is elements of pop, swing, jazz, classical, folk, and rock. Bird has referred to this album as his “jukebox album”. He combines all these elements from the past century of music quite nicely to help develop his sound and style as his career progresses.

The Swimming Hour was released in 2001 by Rykodisc and is the last album Bird will release with the Bowl of Fire. Though it did not gain much commercial success at all (the band played some shows for less than forty people in the audience), the album was praised by critics.

The Swimming Hour opens with a pop song with backing vocals by Nora O’Connor. Two Way Action has a very poppy, catchy violin riff that leads the song. 11:11 is another pop song with some great harmony on vocals between Bird and O’Connor. This album is O’Connor’s first appearance with Bird and she will go on to tour with him later. Her soft vocals add some beautiful harmonies to his music.

The few rock songs are the best of the album. Fatal Flower Garden is a wonderful alt-rockish ballad that actually has an electric guitar solo! Satisfied comes out of nowhere. It is a loud blues-rock song that would fit in with a Doors album. It has organ and electric guitar licks with a killer violin solo as Bird shouts the lyrics “I’m all alone / at least I’m satisfied!” Why? adds another blues song to the album. It’s a sexy, laid back song with a nice violin hook. Bird humorously croons the lyrics “Damn you for being so easy-going.”

The Swimming Hour also contains some great folk tunes. Headsoak is the “unofficial title track for the album” and is a beautiful folk ballad with some more great harmonies between Bird and O’Connor. Bird also introduces his "professional whistling" in this track. Dear Old Greenland is another fun laid back folk song that features conversation like vocals between Bird and the backing vocals.

The Swimming Hour marks the new direction that Andrew Bird is moving. It is an extreme departure from past albums and is his first album with contemporary music. Because it is so eclectic and there is such a difference between each song stylistically, the album becomes somewhat hit-or-miss with each track. However, this would be a good starting point if one is looking to get into Bird.

Andrew Bird - Weather Systems (2003)

Andrew Bird had booked a gig in Chicago to open for a band but when the rest of Bowl of Fire couldn’t make it he decided to play it solo. This gig turned out to be a great success for Bird. This experience showed him that he could make it as a solo artist, so the Bowl of Fire separated and Bird began to create a new sound to start off his solo career. Bird left Rykodisc because of disagreements on where his career was directed and decided to move to a smaller label to release Weather Systems, Righteous Babe Records.

In 2002, Andrew Bird moved to a rural farm in Illinois. Isolated from society, Bird used this time to develop musical ideas and concepts that would be featured on Weather Systems which he recorded at a studio set up in his barn. The result is an atmospheric and ambient album in which the nine songs flow into one another each developing the musical ideas of the album. Though most songs include just Bird’s vocals, violin and whistling, Kevin O’Donnel contributes percussion to a few tracks and Mark Nevers adds guitar to some tracks as well. Nora O’Connor is featured on this album again and she adds even more beauty to this exceptional album.

This small line up may make the album seem quite simple but it is actually musically complex. Bird uses a lot of looping with his violin so in many tracks it sounds as though there is an entire string orchestra present. Action/Adventure is an example of this technique. Pizzicato violin and guitar act as the backing of the rhythm section while there are many harmonies on Bird’s looped violins and whistling. This results in one of the best tracks of the album.

→ and ← are very ambient instrumental tracks. → is played all on Bird’s looped violins which gives it a very full sound. The distant solo violin adds to the atmospheric theme of the album. ← is an excellent closing song to the album. It features the full looped violins with distant drumming and glockenspiel. This track is quite majestic and ends the album perfectly. Skin is another instrumental song. It’s one of the more upbeat songs on the album and is a jam with Bird’s whistling over pizzicato violin, guitar and drums.

The title track is an achievement of genius by Andrew Bird. Weather Systems is one of Bird’s most stunning songs. It is utterly amazing what this man can achieve with just a violin. He loops the violin to create a full string orchestra and delivers some of his finest vocals along with sorrowful whistling and poetic lyrics.

Weather Systems is a magnificently atmospheric album and one must listen to it completely in order to fully understand the musical ideas it conveys. This album marks the start of Andrew Bird’s new sound and solo career. Bird’s sound will continue to progress with the coming albums but Weather Systems will remain a very important album to his discography.

A-

I just recieved Armchair Apocrypha on my laptop. I really need to listen to it.

Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005)

The Mysterious Production of Eggs was released in 2005 on Righteous Babe Records, with the same band line-up as the previous record. With this album, Bird has finally finished his sound that he will stay with for the next few releases. Moving away from the more unconventional music in Weather Systems, Bird has created a stylistic blend of folk, alternative rock, and baroque pop, which makes this his most accessible record. Though this album is a bit more guitar driven, the violin and whistling is still featured prominently, creating a layered sound with loops of violin samples harmonizing with the guitar. The lyrics on The Mysterious Production of Eggs show an advancement in Andrew Bird’s song writing. He writes about themes such as childhood, death, and science, using a particularly vast vocabulary. Though his themes tend to be quite profound he conveys them in a whimsical and sometimes comical manner.

The album starts out with some typical Bird ambience on /=/ and leads into a laid back song, Sovay, a single released on an EP in 2004. The third track is the best of the album and possibly one of Bird’s greatest songs, A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left. A fan favorite and regularly featured on set lists for live shows. It is an epic with slightly enigmatic lyrics about the miracle of human life. Andrew Bird emotionally sings “Why are we alive? / And here's how they replied / You're what happens when two substances collide / And by all accounts you really should have died”. The song is a mix of a somber ballad, that open and close the song, and the middle is an upbeat pop song with an extremely catchy whistled riff.

In Banking On A Myth, Andrew Bird gives commentary on the Record Companies these days saying “he's the one to know, doesn't matter if you blow / no, no, no, no, fact it's just the thing / he thinks we're needing / it's a lukewarm liquid diet they're force feeding”. It is one of the heavier rock songs on the album, with a leading riff on the guitar. Tables and Chairs is musically one of the better songs on the album. There are some great harmonies made by the violin and glockenspiel as well as between Bird and Nora O’Connor. Skin, Is My is a re-visited track from Weather Systems that is also one of the better musical songs. Bird adds lyrics to this older song over the up tempo jam between the guitar and violin. O’Donnell performs brilliantly on this track adding some excellent percussion. The Happy Birthday Song is another highlight of the album, and a personal favorite of mine. It is a mellow ballad driven by a pizzicato violin riff and eventually builds up to a full sound with harmonies on the violin, guitar and glockenspiel. Bird delivers emotional and somber vocals singing “sing me happy birthday / happy birthday / like it's going to be /going to be your last day.”

I would say that Mysterious Production of Eggs is the best starting point if you’re looking to get into Andrew Bird. He achieves a more conventional style but still stays true to his roots, creating an eclectic sound that will define Bird for his next few releases. This album is the best from his solo career, with every track bringing something new to the album, and little filler. The only problem I have with this album is that it doesn’t feature any of Bird’s ambient instrumental songs that are driven by the violin rather than vocals.

A-

This discography would be a great tool to expand my comfort zone. Iv'e been listening to a few songs from each album on Playlist.com for about an hour: He's for sure a variable sound, but I do appreciate the violin.

wtf... a variable sound

Just discovered him recently and I've been listening to Armchair Apocrypha nonstop.. It's really good!

Thanks for the input guys. If you're looking to get into him, I'll probably post a compilation after two more reviews, to introduce you to his music.

Thanks so much Manny. You're a virtual Andrew Bird encyclopedia! He's my current favorite. I've listened to Armchair Apocrypha repeatedly. I really want Mysterious Production of Eggs because Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left is one of my favorite songs. But I like how he did it at Bonnaroo better than the album.

YouTube - Andrew Bird - "A Nervous Tic Motion..." - Live at Bonnaroo

Yeah, he's excellent live. I've read that when he tours he never plays the same set list and he never plays a song the same way twice.

When I saw him live he did a great version of "Armchairs" and a version of "Why?" that he performed solo amazingly.

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha (2007)

After the success of Mysterious Production of Eggs, Andrew Bird signed to Fat Possum Records to release Armchair Apocrypha in 2007. Co-collaborator Martin Dosh joined with Bird and adds percussion and keyboards to his sound, as well as Jeremy Ylvisaker who was added for bass and back up vocals. Haley Bonar also makes several appearances on back up vocals. Armchair Apocrypha reached number 76 on the Billboard charts giving Bird the most mainstream success he’s had, appearing for the first time on television for David Letterman.

Armchair Apocrypha is a more straight forward indie/alternative rock album than Bird’s previous work but it retains the similar layered sound as Mysterious Production. Though this is musically a less complex album, Bird’s lyrics are even more interesting and complicated. With his extensive vocabulary, he writes about themes such as science and the apocalypse, with such beauty and simplicity.

The album opens with Fiery Crash which Bird describes as a protection from plane crashes “a nod to mortality before you get on the plane” singing “to save our lives you have to envision a fiery crash”. He approaches Heretics and Plasticities with the same whimsical attitude. These songs are about themes such as embracing death and differing mentalities of society yet Bird portrays them with a child-like attitude, almost poking fun at them. These songs are probably the closest Andrew Bird will ever come to pop music.

Imitosis is one of the most popular tracks off the album and deservedly so. It is an expansion of “I” off of Weather Systems. This is a dark song about science and its downfalls. The lyrics are some of the most interesting Bird has wrote. What kind of rock singer writes lyrics like “Is just a case of mitosis / Sure fatal doses of malcontent through osmosis”. This is all put together into an accessible rock song with a dark riff on the keyboards and some great layering on the violin, with a slight influence from spanish music present.

Armchairs is a personal favorite of mine. It is an absolute masterpiece. Everyone is performing to perfection on this track. It starts out as a solemn ballad and builds its way up to a powerful coda. By the end of the song it’s hard to believe that only three men created such a full sound. Bird delivers emotional vocals with such ease; at times he is reminiscent of Jeff Buckley. The climax of the song is a brilliant harmony between the piano, guitar, Bird's vocals, and several loops of droning violin. Before the album was released the title had several variations such as “Apocalypse in an Armchair” and “Amrchairs of the Apocalypse”. The meaning of the song is cloudy, but I believe it can be interpreted to show the imminence of the apocalypse.

Martin Dosh’s talent adds some new textures to Bird’s music. This can be heard on Simple X which was composed solely by Dosh with an excellent percussion track that flows with Birds violin samples wonderfully. Scythian Empires is a perfect example of the type of layering that Bird is known for. There are so many stratums of instrument tracks to this song. At its height, there is a harmony between guitar arpeggios, electric keyboard, and piano with splashes of Bird’s pizzicato violin and electric guitar as well.

It is hard to say anything bad about Armchair Apocrypha. The only major problem I have with it is that it’s more accessible than Andrew Bird’s earlier music. Though it is more mainstream, Bird stays true to himself continuing his layered music, achieving his full sound that he has become known for. But I’m a sucker for music like his more ambient work on Weather Systems. Also, there is a bit of filler on this album which is rare for Bird, for example I could easily go on without pop/rock songs like Dark Matter and Heretics. Nevertheless this album is highly recommended especially for newcomers to Mr. Bird.

I like the two Andrew Bird CDs I've gotten so far. Lyrically though, the guy is just too smart for me. I seldom know just what the hell he's talking about.

Andrew Bird’s most recent effort, Noble Beast, was released by Fat Possum Records on January 20, 2009. It features the same line-up as the previous album. Noble Beast is a laid back, smooth album. It retains many aspects of Armchair Apocrypha but it has a different feel. This is more of a baroque pop album than an alternative rock album. Many of the songs flow into each other, and there is much repetition. As usual every song is layered, creating a full sound. But on Noble Beast, there seems to be a more laid back approach to it. The album artwork suits the album well. This album could be played as background music for the setting in the artwork.

Masterswarm is a calm, laid back song with a flowing percussive beat and, of course, some great harmonies on the looping violin. This track is a good representation of the type of music on this album. It is calming and flowing. Bird delivers some soft, smooth vocals and whistling melodies.

Not a Robot, But a Ghost is a highlight of the album. There is a great percussive track by Martin Dosh. The whistling and violin add a mysterious, sinister vibe to the song. At times this track can be somewhat reminiscent of Radiohead. Bird’s enigmatic lyrics continue on Noble Beast with him singing “I hear the clockwork in your core / time strips the gears till you forget what they were for / I push the numbers through your pores / I crack the codes that end the war”

The Privateers is a revisited version of The Confession, from Oh! The Grandeur. It is transformed from a jazz ballad into a flowing baroque pop song. Souverian is another highlight of Noble Beast. At just over seven minutes it is the longest track of the album. The smooth, flowing vibe continues on this track but it builds up to a layered coda with the violin, percussion and a droning distorted guitar that adds something new to the track.

Noble Beast is Andrew Bird’s weakest effort of his solo career. There is some filler and many of the songs flow into each other with a lot of repetition. At times this works, but I just wish Bird had taken more risks with this album. This is not to say that this album is worthless, it just doesn’t stand out as much as the rest of Bird’s solo career.

Download this comp if you want a quick introduction to Andrew Bird's music. I took samples from each part of his career.

Song - Album

1. Beware (Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire) - Oh! The Grandeur
2. Wait (Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire) - Oh! The Grandeur
3. Fatal Flower Garden (Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire) - The Swimming Hour
4. Satisfied (Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire) - The Swimming Hour
5. Weather Systems - Weather Systems
6. Action/Adventure - Weather Systems
7. A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
8. The Happy Birthday Song - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
9. Banking on a Myth - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
10. Spare-Ohs - Armchair Apocrypha
11. Armchairs - Armchair Apocrypha
12. Not a Robot, But a Ghost - Noble Beast
13. Masterswarm - Noble Beast

Intro to Andrew Bird.rar

Great reviews, I'll use this thread sometime.

Edit: And I did use this thread, just about done listening to Music Of Hair. I think I'll need to spend some more time with it before mr.bird and I are more well acquainted, but I'm liking what I'm hearing. I thought this would be much more out of my comfort zone then It actually was, honestly, I really enjoyed this album and am excited for the day when I have the time to hear more of his work. Thanks for the reviews, I definitely would have missed out without them. Is that a hint of 50's influence in Pathetique?

This was one album I couldn't stop playing for awhile. Thanks for the video. I love Action/Adventure.

Such a great post (although I would disagree on the stand out songs on just about every album). Would love to see updates with the recent albums.