When I post about a musician or band on here under the guise of a Tabletop Transitional, often I’ll only embed one video of their music. But surely that’s a bad way to really get to know their musical style, right? After all, a sample size of 1 is negligible, statistically speaking.
So, yes, in this short introduction to Andrew Bird, singer-songwriter and violin virtuoso, there will be three songs to listen to: each from a different album of his. Ooh, variety! Variety indeed.
Andrew Bird is a curious musical creature. His work blends together elements of indie rock, folk, jazz and chamber music, producing something very unique, yet highly listenable. In fact, considering how disparate his influences seem to be, it’s kind of weird that the most impenetrable part of his music are the lyrics, which are wonderfully verbose and poetic, but can seem overwhelming on a first listen. Well, at least they did to me.
This first song is “Anonanimal” from his 2009 LP Noble Beast. It’s a great intro to his signature multi-tracked violin sound, as well as his lyrical style. Also, it’s one of his best songs, so how could I not include it?
This next song – “Imitosis” from 2007′s Armchair Apocrypha - is a bit stripped back in the violin department and easily one of his more “conventional” songs, but it’s again a good example his lyrical style. Oftentimes Andrew gets fixated on antiquated science (or the old-fashioned culture of science in years past) and this song exemplifies that fixation. “Imitosis” is a wonderful concept…
“A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head To The Left” from 2005′s The Mysterious Production of Eggs is the last song I want to share with you all. It’s a gorgeous song (and very fun to cover – which gives me an idea…) and again the lyrics seem to touch a little on the theme of old-fashioned science: “You’re what happens when two substances collide/And by all accounts you really should have died”.
If you like what you’ve heard, I highly recommend you purchase any of these three albums I’ve mentioned here – Noble Beast, Armchair Apocrypha or The Mysterious Production of Eggs - as a pathway towards full Andrew Bird-appreciation. Good luck and Godspeed.
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