Bomb in a Birdcage

A Fine Frenzy | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 8, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Records
• ASIN: B0029LHW4K
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,491 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. What I Wouldn't Do

2. New Heights

3. Electric Twist

4. Blow Away

5. Happier

6. Swan Song

7. Elements

8. World Without

9. Bird Of The Summer

10. Stood Up

11. Beacon

Editorial Reviews

2009 sophomore release. A Fine Frenzy is sophisticated alternative Pop that appeals to a mature teen and college aged female audience, but can also be shared with their parents. She is the rare artist who benefits from further exploration as the more you listen to or learn about the artist, the more devoted you become and the more apt you are to tell a friend. While Bomb In A Birdcage has the same beauty and musical depth as the 2007 debut One Cell In A Sea, it is improved by a wonderfully developed pop sensibility. Infectious, bubbly, fun, this album will give us the opportunity to build on the amazing word-of-mouth foundation that has been built for A Fine Frenzy and launch her as a major star. Besides being an intuitive songwriter and musician, she's also an accomplished writer and she is currently working on her second book, a children's book which she hopes to publish in the coming year.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 61 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Frenzy reaching New Heights... September 8, 2009

By Ferdinand von Prondzynski

Format:Audio CD

The debut album by A Fine Frenzy, 'One Cell in the Sea', has over the past year or two been gathering an increasingly strong fan base for Alison Sudol and her band. It was an album of poetic, sometimes haunting songs; and the first single from that album, 'Almost Lover', propelled her to stardom, with huge success both in her native America and in continental Europe. For those who might have been expecting her new album to continue in the same style, 'Bomb in a Birdcage', may come as a surprise.

The album cover may contain a hint: gone is the perhaps slightly fragile and shy look of Sudol on 'One Cell in the Sea', and in comes a sassy, in-your-face image of the artist as a determined, daring woman. However, lest I am worrying fans of her debut album, there are some overlaps and similarities in the music. Alison Sudol the poet is still very much there, and the lyrics of the new tracks continue to use beautiful and memorable imagery and expressions. Also, there are some songs that pick up from her earlier style, perhaps in particular 'Happier', 'Bird of the Summer', 'The Beacon' and 'Swan Song'; the latter is an extraordinarily beautiful expression of loss and regret, and one of my favourite tracks. Perhaps the first single from the album, 'Blow Away', is something of a bridge between the old and the new A Fine Frenzy, with powerful melody but also a punchy beat. This song also shows off her strong vocal range, as she manages to deliver part rock anthem and part operatic aria in a song that unites these styles quite easily and very successfully.

And then there are other songs where Sudol makes use of various styles that have informed her music, including jazz, rock and even country.... While there isn't a weak song on the album, maybe the two that made me sit up most when I first heard them were 'Electric Twist' and 'We Stood Up'; the first of these is an almost teasing song that starts slowly and builds up, with a punchy beat and a flirtatious theme; while the second is a rock-inspired rallying cry of defiance and determination, but which (as the final line reveals) is a plea for kindness.

Not many singers or bands risk completely new departures after a successful first album. 'Bomb in a Birdcage' is a pure delight because it refuses to allow A Fine Frenzy to be typecast, but at the same time does not refuse to give her fans some of what they have come to treasure. It is a hugely powerful album, supported by songwriting that is clever, astute, enticing, original and simply musical, and driven by a performance from Sudol and her band that is hugely impressive. The musical accompaniment is sophisticated, emphatic where it needs to be but also very subtle in some of the songs - listen to the flutes in 'Bird of the Summer', for example.

This is a must-buy, must-have album. Read more ›

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful - Like Fine Wine, let an Artist be an Artist. January 16, 2010

By Erin

Format:Audio CD

Bomb in a Birdcage (BIAB) was a 50/50 love/dislike at first; I was surprised at my own reaction. Now? I am listening to it instead of One Cell in the Sea. One Cell was a masterpiece that I would take to a desert island if I only had one CD. It might not ever be recreated - but nor should it be. She's not the same person either. She's changed, I've changed, you've changed since it was recorded. Supposition aside, this record is experimentally-wonderful as the first. I was expecting One Cell in the Sea Part Two. So when I heard BIAB I was a bit mentally confused. The reason being, I think, is the use of syntisizers (sp?) and a heavier drum beat in some of the songs you don't associate the first record with. But I can just about nearly promise you if you listen to it a few times, you'll start getting hooked on this song - then that song - then pretty soon you're in love with all of it.

I thank all the people who took time to actually listen to this record a few times before reviewing. In particular a lady who said she was doing a marathon on her bike, i think, and she listened to 'elements' over and over and just loved it. My daughter, too, didn't like One Cell at all -- but I just, down stairs, heard her listening to "Happier" from BIAB, which I love, too. I was kind of starting to wonder if my 13 yo had any taste at all but catching her listening to AFF gave me hope for her lol. This record is epicly-grand. It's bigger than One Cell which was quieter and sweeter, and frankly, perfect in every possible way. BIAB, tho, like fine wine or diamonds-mined, takes a little time to appreciate - not becuase it's a pill you need to swallow, but because it is deeper, bigger, grander, and perhaps more evocative in places than it's predecessor. Much of us don't like wine when we first taste it.... But like AFF's new album, as our palates evolve in sophistication, the more you appreciate A Fine Frenzy and it's etheral, monumental loveliness. Read more ›

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet September 8, 2009

By D

Format:Audio CD

I usually go for strange, arty music, and it's rare that I enjoy what I think of as "music for Target ads". It's not easy to create music with such simple, sweet melodies, without it being dull and uninspired. But Alison Sudol did it once, and now she's done it again. The great opening track has me bobbing my head and humming along, and the album continues to hold my interest all the way through the beautiful closer "Beacon", with just a couple tracks in the middle that drag a bit. Bomb in a Birdcage couldn't have been released at a more appropriate time of year, because it's perfect music for late summer and fall.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is Really Good January 31, 2012

By L. Saunders

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Her second album does not disappoint. If you like the first one, you'll like this. Very catchy tunes that will keep you humming.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Different from 'One Cell in the Sea" but still AWESOME!!! January 18, 2012

By Maddei

Format:Audio CD

Songs I loved at first: What I Wouldn't Do, Swan Song, and Bird of the Summer, which means the most similar to One Cell in the Sea. What I Wouldn't Do is a folksy kind of song you can clap and dance along to, and Swan Song and Bird of the Summer are definitely otherworldly and ethereal, just like 'Almost Lover' and 'Near to You' (some of my fav's on that album). Songs I liked later: Happier, Beacon, Elements, The World Without, Electric Twist, and Blow Away. Electric Twist took some time to swallow, but now I can't wait to reach the track! Happier, Elements, and the World Without are definitely some of my favorites. Songs I still don't like: Stood Up and New Heights, which some people won't like, but mostly because 'Stood Up' music is not at all my type (too harsh) and New Heights kind of boreded me after the inital listening.

Overall, a different kind of experience, but an enjoyable ride. Definitely not EXACTLY like One Cell, but there are a couple of songs you'll still enjoy if you liked her inital album.

I love her voice, her music, and especially her haunting lyrics. Favorite song(s): Happier & Swan Song. Favorite song(s): Near to You and Almost Lover. :)