Customer Reviews

Armchair Apocrypha

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After his stunning 2005 release "Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs", I was worried that Andrew Bird would not be able to live up to the ridiculously high standards that that album and his incredible live performances had established for him. My fears were completely unjustified, as "Armchair Apocrypha" certainly meets if not exceeds any and all expectations.

While it's not quite as long as his last album (10 vocal and 2 instrumental tracks), each song is different and beautiful in its own way. Bird has stayed true to his style (violins, xylophones and his trademark whistling) but continued to develop his sound, and is the equal of Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, Sufjan or any other Indie Sweetheart band out there today. His lyrics are poetically uplifting one minute and dreadfully macabre the next, but always clever, insightful and unique.

What sets Bird apart is his uncanny knack to be a complete individual while producing music that remains 100% palatable. This is truly a superior record; it is a must-have for any Bird fan and anyone else who loves music slightly off the beaten track.

Never content to sit still and make the same record over and over again, Andrew Bird is one of those artists that creates delightful music that is enjoyed by everyone from jam-band audiences to NPR-listeners to people who might not normally go for his slightly more mellow brand of indie pop. I fall into those latter two groups, and although I don't consider myself a member of the typical coffee-house crowd, I do appreciate good songs, and Bird has really been honing his craft, culminating in a good album with Weather Systems, a great album in The Mysterious Production Of Eggs, and now another gem in Armchair Apocrypha.

For one thing, Bird is one of only a handful or two of current singer songwriters who I consider to be a truly great lyricist. True, he gets a bit clever for his own good in a few places, but his word craft is simply outstanding in most places, conjuring up thoughtful lines that capture the beauty, frustrations, happiness, and downright absurdity of the world we live in. His music follows suit largely as well, with songs that move on odd time signatures with interesting instrumentation and of course touches of his whimsical whistling.

One thing that's easy to notice about the new album is that guitar is used much more prominently than on his other albums, and usually it's not a bad thing at all. Opener "Fiery Crash" mixes electric piano, swoops of strings, some shuttling drums, and subdued vocals with dark lyrics into a gem of a song that begs for singing along. "Imitosis" follows, and again finds Bird plumbing his psyche lyrically while recycling a melody from both of his previous albums and turning in a song that betters both of them.

The strong opening continues with "Plasticities," and the song is easily one of the better on the entire release, blending plucked strings, some subdued guitar that gurgles over in places and vocals that move from whispered to defiant. It's never rocking in a traditional way, but like the best of his songs, it's insanely hooky, with soft builds that turn into a pretty blowouts and words that lodge in your head. As mentioned above, the more guitar-driven songs (like "Heretic" and "Dark Matter") seem to fall into a bit more traditional structures and don't hold up quite as well, but even then there are still some nice payoffs.

In places, Bird drops to practically neo-classical, and the results are flat-out gorgeous. The minute-long "The Supine" could easily go on for three times as long and still stun, while the album closer "Yawny And The Apocolypse" mixes field recordings and aching strings into something that is heartbreaking. For my money, the best song on the release is the piano/guitar driven "Scythian Empires," where Bird tackles the current war with his usual aplomb lyrically while musically backing it with understated and touching music that serves to highlight the words. As a whole, the album doesn't stand up quite as well as The Mysterious Production Of Eggs, but it's still another solid entry in Bird's discography.

(from almost cool music reviews)

Although I am still quite fond of his earlier work (Thrills, Oh! The Grandeur and The Swimming Hour), I must admit that Bird keeps getting better and better. I don't know that I would characterize this as being "dark" per se (as many of the other reviewers have) but Bird definitely deals with subject matters that are not typical of pop music (thank heavens!).

It is helpful to know that many of these songs have evolved from earlier works, and that often his lyrics are not as significant as people hope them to be. What I mean is that, according to his own account, Bird often puts things together because of a sound inherent in their audible manifestation rather than because of a meaning he wishes to convey. The fun part is trying to figure out which lyrics are there for the latter and which for the former.

Scythian Empires has to be the best piece on this album as far as composition, in my opinion; but the album wouldn't be the same without Dark Matter, Spare-Ohs, and Imitosis (the long-awaited 'official' incarnation of what was once 'Capital I').

Anyway, just do yourself a favor and get this album! Check out "The Official Unofficial Andrew Bird Fansite" for lyrics and other such and similar things.

Also: if you ever get the chance, you will want to see Bird live - it is unlike anything you have ever seen before. That may sound trite, but it is true nonetheless. Unfortunately for some, fortunately for others that have grown accustomed to and even love it, Bird does not feel obligated to play songs the same way twice - ever. One of his older songs, "Why?", must exist in a hundred different manifestations; Bird is always trying new things with established songs, which is risky but often bears amazing fruit.

This is an album comparable in scope to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or In the Airplane Over the Sea. It is brilliant, sprawling and grand while containing exceedingly sharp song writing and catchy hooks the whole way through. In terms of progression, Bird's last outing, the excellent Mysterious Production of Eggs was a bit poppier, a tad less ambitious and more accessible (much like Wilco's Summerteeth, sorry to stay with this metaphor but Wilco fans might appreciate the point of reference).
Armchair Apocrypha took a few listens to sink in, and since then I haven't been able to stop telling people about it. Each track is something unique, the 7 minute Armchair probably being the unifying masterpiece that the rest of the tracks are built around.
Buy this and listen to it. It is my album of the year (or Iron and Wine, how can i choose?) and if Bird had Wilco's publicity sense, it would be a huge seller.
I love it.

Another great album from Andrew Bird, and continues on the vein of combining science jargon with philosophical musings. As a student of science I really love his playfulness with the subject matter; too many people in the humanities are convinced science is a cold, heartless field where creativity is limited by procedure...when really, it is always within the limitations of procedure that true creativity can blossom. His music is accessible and inspires me to pull out my medical dictionary to explore my future field of expertise. What more can you ask for?

From A Perfect Circle to Ziggy Marley, my musical taste expands over broad horizons. Therefore, let me say that even through my taste for metal, hip-hop, and classical, there is no CD that comes as close to perfection as this one. Andrew Bird has compiled a digital copy of brilliance and named it "Armchair Apocrypha."

I have a theory that a favorite song reflects where the listener is at in his/her life. The tempo, lyrics, and overall sound are all chosen at a deeper level then merely personal choice. I'm not really one for lengthy reviews, so just visit http://grooveshark.com and type in "Scythian Empires." That song is currently my favorite, trumping Diana Kralls soothing and smooth voice or Rage Against the Machines memorable riffs. I have no idea what "Scythian Empires" represents to me personally, so maybe the theory is bogus, but I do know when I listen to it I feel as though everything will be all right.

Listen to this song when driving home at night. It. just. fits.

Andrew Bird is like no one I've heard before. I had to pick this up after hearing the Mysterious Production of Eggs, which I think is maybe a tiny bit more fabulous than this one, but it's pretty close.

I keep trying to pin down who he reminds me of, but his musical style is almost unclassifiable. I've concluded that he reminds me of the best things about a number of diverse artists, but he's unique enough that I'd have a hard time pinning down the comparisons, and I really wouldn't want to, anyway. I'd rather just enjoy the music - I notice something new in every listen.

The complaints about this album seem to be: 1. it doesn't have enough catchy guitar chords, and 2. it's not a live show. If you're all about the pop guitar chords in your music, um, your taste is music is probably not good enough to appreciate Andrew Bird. And, well, duh, it's an album, not a live show, and most of us don't have the privilege of following Mr. Bird around the country to see him play live. I hate to see the overall rating of this album tarnished by people who aren't evaluating it for what it is.

You can't find Andrew Bird's uniquely melancholy whimsy easily anywhere else. I'm always pleased by his albums, but they pale compared to his live performances (in small venues). Bird live compared to his albums is like original Van Gogh compared to its poster print.

Darker tones and imagery, seem to be the focus Andrew's latest, A natural progression that doesn't seem to stray to far from his prior two. But this time, the music as a whole, seems more focused and he's narrowed down and honed in on his strengths. I could easily see this record being Andrew's most successful selling disc to date, because the songs have progressed into a more structured environment. The production is slimmed down and most of Andrew's quirkiness has been smoothed over. Oh yeah, and the whistling is beautiful as ever. I gave it Four stars with room to move up. Quite a lovely dark record indeed!
For fans of Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Ros, Radiohead to even My Morning Jacket and Wilco.

After seeing Andrew Bird live playing this new material I've really grown to appreciate this new album. He is taking his music in a new direction, and I for one like it a lot. My advice: buy the album, see him live, experience all the wonderful colors and lyrics that he has to offer.