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Album Review

Andrew Bird
Noble Beast Bella Union

Article written by Ged M - Mar 23, 2009

Andrew Bird: Noble Beast

“When coprophagia was writ/ know when to stand or when to sit” (‘Tenuousness’). I’m not sure what the relevance of “shit-eating” is and I’m not sure Andrew Bird does either but his lyrics are a lexiconographer’s dream. His Noble Beast album, now appearing on Bella Union, is a rich blend of multi-syllabic mouthfuls of lyrics and jazz-accented rock. His music seems to emphasise all the detail of a pop song and play down the usual features. So it feels like guitar is reduced to accompaniment, the drums provide structure, but what you hear foremost is his virtuoso violin and whistling: not since Peel fave Ronnie Ronalde has there been such an impressive lip-purser.

It’s eccentric, unusual music, with threads of classical, jazz and folk within its DNA. The sighing, swaying strings mark out ‘Anonanimal’ while Loney, Dear join Bird for the crepuscular ‘The Privateers’. The scratchy electronica and beats of ‘Not A Robot, But A Ghost’ stand out not just because it’s the best track on the album but because they’re more conventional pop devices on an album that’s generally extremely idiosyncratic. Strange and playful, it’s worth investigating, especially if you enjoy wordsmithery.

Links:
http://www.andrewbird.net/
http://www.bellaunion.com/artist.php?artcode=andrewbird
http://www.myspace.com/andrewbird