Andrew Bird

I am new to Andrew Bird, having just, uhhh "legally purchased" his albums Noble Beast, Armchair Apocrypha, and The Mysterious Production of Eggs. I am WAY down though, he's a classically trained violinist who sings like fucking Thom Yorke (Radiohead, of course) and can whistle better than anyone I've ever heard. In terms of genre it's kinda folky-pop-rock but has electronic manipulation everywhere and, again, whistling. The background on this dude is that he's from Chicago, had a band called Bowl of Fire (which I have not heard) and was in that late nineties band Squirrel Nut Zippers (not full time just a contributor), but after he left, he sequestered himself alone on a farm to make his solo albums. The sounds of his albums aren't as weird as you may think with that description but his lyrics are subjectively nuanced and quite lovely.

2009's Noble Beast has gotten a lot of attention and is, in my opinion, quite deserving of it. It's very similar to 2007's Armchair Apocrypha, with it's grandeur and epic sense of scale, even in it's most intimate compositions. The popular knock on him is that he is too insular and he doesnt translate but that is said by people who listened to Noble Beast once then deleted it from their iTunes (read: bullshit). This is music for when you're by yourself, or if you must surround yourself with other people, make them shut up. Preferably, play these songs on headphones when you're on a hike or just put him on when you wake up.

MP3- Dark Matter (Off Armchair Apocrypha)

MP3- Oh No

MP3- Fitz And Dizzy Spells

MP3- Not A Robot, But A Ghost

MP3- Anonanimal

I am in love with all these songs but I have to say "Dark Matter" and "Not A Robot" are my favorites, especially the latter's lush breakdown at the 3:15 mark.