Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird

Noble Beast

[4.5/5]

Andrew Bird appears to be a master of many things: He pens clever lyrics that don’t trip over their own intelligence; he immerses his songs with emotional depth that avoids sentimentality or melodrama; he uses song titles like “Tenuousness” and “Nomenclature” without seeming pretentious; and, of course, he whistles. The multi-instrumentalist’s follow-up to 2007’s beloved Armchair Apocrypha takes careful advantage of all of Bird’s talents, highlighting in particular his skillful violin playing (see the compelling “Effigy”). Debut single “Oh No” combines gently picked acoustic guitar, delicate beats and Bird’s signature whistling to create a lush soundscape for the musician’s literary lyrics to play upon. It’s less mopey than Bright Eyes, less pompous than Sufjan Stevens and better than almost everything else. (FAT POSSUM; fatpossum.com) Emily Zemler

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