Andrew Bird--c/d?

then she put on a Sami radio station and we listened to the Sami version of ICP for 35 minutes. anyway!

Armchair Apocrypha was the first that I heard and I fell in love with it. Kept trying other albums but nothing lived up to that one. "Dark Matter" rules.

Second time through and it is growing on me.

I admit to listening on earbuds but there is something about the production on this - like his vocals sound a little bit thinner than usual or something. I’m not sure what it is.

New album! I'm to the point where I don't anxiously anticipate his albums (there was a time when I did), but at the same time he rarely disappoints. I'm enjoying this on first listen. Sort of takes me back to Noble Beast era. It's very relaxed, lots of acoustic backing. Still very "Andrew Bird" through and through just a little less rocking than some of the more recent albums.

i need to go back to are you serious and figure out where he lost me. thank you for the revive + agreed with the assessment that he rarely disappoints.

Yeah in my mind I think less of Are You Serious and MFWY, but if I actually listen to them there’s not a lot to complain about.

I’ve now listened to this album a few times. No particular song has really jumped out at me yet; it’s all still a Birdian mush. And yet I find it all really joyous and wonderful. I’m feeling compelled to keep replaying it even as I’m not sure what it is that’s drawing me to it. I haven’t felt this way about a Bird album since Noble Beast or maybe Break It Yourself.

okay gave it a listen on our walk just now, and yeah, if you like andrew bird you'll definitely like inside problems. everything that sets him apart is here: charmingly dense narratives, big choruses, some pizzicato solos, all filtered through that undeniably genuine roots rock disposition. highlights for me right now are: "underlands", "atomized", and "eight." my main criticism remains what it was with are you serious?: he does nothing new. granted, everything here is good. i just feel like he's been repeating himself for over a decade at this point. that said, i would rather have him repeat himself with nice songs and enjoyable albums than total crap or (even worse) nothing at all.

a slight addendum and not really related at all to anything i just said: i want to see him do more duets with female vocalists. the ones on record in the past have all been highlights. i saw him in 2013 with tift merritt in tow and, of all the times i saw him, that was *easily* my favorite. anyway: yeah, i like andrew bird a lot and will always have time for him.

Haven't connected with anything he's made in a decade plus, but The Swimming Hour is well worth a revisit, particularly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tERk1weYeDc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9wGqYa7Q3A

waiting to talk was a reight track as well!