Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
Concentration!!
Musical maestro wunder-kid Andrew Bird was back earlier this year with an incredible effort which I believe to be his best to date. Bird has never been one to "go with the flow", countless shifts in musical form & tempo, floozy whistling, plucked strings, words picked in the lyrics for the sound they give off as opposed to the meaning - all ask a lot of the listener. But Bird brings the goods immensely & brilliantly in his delivery & masterful musicianship. Take an example of Bird's word play on Tenuousness:
Tenuous at best was all he had to say
when pressed about the rest of it, the world that is
from proto-Sanskrit Minoans to Porto-centric Lisboans
Greek Cypriots and harbor sorts who hang around in ports a lot.
(gorgeous & delightful, but good luck figuring that one out)
Bird's incredible use of string instruments give the album a slightly classical but frenetic & at times mellow feel (one tends to overlook the warmth & intelligence in his voice). Large portions of the album are happy & peppy without sounding annoying. You'll often find yourself whistling along with Bird as he attempts to paint a poetic picture with his songs. Beautiful harmonies, lonely violins, layers upon layers of successful attempts, moments of precise intimacy and the odd head-bob make Noble Beast easily one of the best records of 2009.
Standout track - #10, Anonanimal
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