chicago's own: andrew bird

4 out of 5 stars

Not often do songwriters use words like facsimile, tenuousness, and nomenclature, unless you are Andrew Bird. But don’t let the academic vocabulary turn you off to Andrew Bird’s new album, Noble Beast. Bird, a native of Chicago and graduate of Northwestern University released his 5th studio album on January 20th. Noble Beast reached the iTunes Top Ten albums over the weekend, proving this album a great, if not popular purchase.

Bird, a classically trained violinist, is known for mixing many different styles of sound into his albums, making it hard to classify him into a specific genre. He uses folk, pop, jazz, and classical elements along with his trademark whistling, a skill he uses more extensively in his earlier albums Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production of Eggs and Armchair Apocrypha.

Bird’s high brow vocabulary and eclectic musical style make some critics believe his music is too inaccessible, but that is part of the beauty of his music. The rhymes Bird chooses are poetically compelling, not necessarily because of their meaning, but because of their musical quality. Axis, waxes, and taxes or three, elasticity, and astronomy become lovely coupled with Bird’s haunting melodies. Enjoy the lyrics simply for their sound if their meaning escapes you.

This album requires more than a casual listen. To really enjoy this album it has to be given a chance to be more than background music so the listener can understand its subtleties.

For example, the song Not a Robot, But a Ghost has three distinctive movements that make it sound like three different songs during the first listen. But a closer listen reveals the cohesion of the piece, and the fact that lyrics are the same and repeated though the music changes.

The whole album flows well together, and just gets better with each play.

Bird is a local sensation, and although he tours around the world, he is particularly favored in Chicago. His tour for Noble Beast comes to Chicago in April at the Civic Opera House. Originally scheduled for one show on April 10th, tickets are now on sale for a second show on April 9th after tickets sold out in the first 15 minutes for the 10th.

Bird performs solo and layers his music by recording melodies and rhythms he plays or whistles to create a fuller sound. It is great experience to hear his music come together piece by piece live. Bird was asked about his live performances in an interview on National Public Radio.

"Every night," he says, "I am rewriting all my songs for the audience."

If you want a chance to hear Andrew Bird reinvent himself live, check and see if tickets are still on sale for the April 9th show. If not, give the Noble Beast a chance. Its well worth the time spent to get to know Andrew Bird and his peculiar vocabulary.