Andrew Bird – Noble Beast Review
Although Andrew Bird isn’t a chameleon the same way an artist like Beck or David Bowie was, his repertoire is nevertheless about diverse as it gets when it comes to folk/indie rock. In the past this has been somewhat of a problem, though his older records are definitely enjoyable, it sometimes felt more like a stroll through the music history than a true experience (yeah I’m sneaking in a Swimming Hour review in here). His later Armchair Apocrypha should have been warning enough, Andrew Bird is an artist for the history books.
The songs structures in this album are ambitious, the instrumentation is powerful, and tracks are filled with unexpected turns and twists. What makes this album remarkable though is how organic and natural the entire ordeal is. That’s why I can’t think of a more appropriate name for this collection of songs than Noble Beast. The ambition of Bird’s latest work is tempered by the underlying sophistication that he’s so well known for.
Let me be blunt – this album is pure brilliance. The experience will be different for everyone, many will hear different textures and hear different emotions. Admiteddly, sometimes the mood of Bird’s music is too complex to even grasp what the mood is at first, but that doesn’t mean the music itself is. The complexity just results from the convergence of all the different styles that Bird walks us through. Listening to the album, it could just as easily be a singer songwriter from Eastern Europe as it could be one from Chicago. And even within American styles Bird has fluid diversity – and let me emphasize fluid, because these songs flow like water. Nonmenclature for example starts off with sounding like a collaboration between Paul Simon and Zachary Condon (Beirut) and later on morphs into what is arguably an Andrew Bird translation of Radiohead.
The highlight of the record is just over halfway through, with the song “Not a Robot, but a Ghost.” Bird and his companions have actually found a way to make their trademark whistle sound intense and passionate. His ability to evoke such strong passion in the most bizarre ways are what make this record so worth listening to. “Not a Robot, but a Ghost” is an epic song about – a breakup? So the rumour goes. The instruments used in this song are too many to name, and in many cases difficult to even decipher.
This album genuinely puts hundreds of other folk albums to shame. There’s just no other way to put it, you really do need to hear it to understand why.
Masterswarm by Andrew Bird
Not A Robot But A Ghost by Andrew Bird
Tags: album
