16.

Andrew Bird
The Mysterious Production of Eggs
(Righteous Babe, 2005)

Andrew Bird is a model of consistency. He doesn’t have a single album under his name that isn’t worth a listen. However, it was The Mysterious Production of Eggs that really convinced me that he was more then just a consistent songwriter. The delicacy of this album’s instrumentation coupled with the grace of Bird’s voice is probably one of the most charming things I’ve ever heard. His songs on this album are simple, subtle concoctions of lemonade happiness. This is the way I want my life to sound.

-Thistle

Andrew Bird - Noble Beast

Andrew Bird

Noble Beast

(01.2008, Fat Possum)

Verdict: You already know it's good

Who, in the world of music blog readers isn't already familiar with the beautifully voiced troubadour Andrew Bird? And who in the world of music appreciators doesn't enjoy giving any one of Mr Bird's wonderfully tracked albums a spin from time to time? With those questions in place, I ask a third and final question? Why am I even bothering to review this? I guess, it's because I want Noble Beast to have a sweet little spot on the Forest Gospel scrolling blog page. There is nothing new or enlightening that I can say about Noble Beast. For the most part it is what was expected and similar to all Bird's release. There are no new surprising twists or turns necessarily, just another super solid album to add to his already impeccable back catalog. Saying there is nothing new or surprising is not a bad thing. I still can't get enough of his gorgeous songwriting. The more songs the merrier. I am happy to say that Noble Beast has already burrowed itself into a fairly comfortable spot in my heart.

-Sassigrass

Listen to Noble Beast on NPR

Shows This Week

After a bit of laziness and a bit of a shows slump we are back to highlighting upcoming shows for the week in Salt Lake City.

Tuesday (7.15), the one and only Low will be performing their murderous, slow rock with TaughtMe at Kilby Court. An absolutely awesome venue to see these indie legends. You won’t want to miss this.



Wednesday (7.16), King Khan & The Shrines should fit right in at The Urban Lounge where they will be rocking out with their own version of bluesy, retro rock.



Thursday (7.17), the Salt Lake Arts Council hits another home run (after last week’s show with The Roots) on their summer music series with live, free music from the immaculate Andrew Bird at the Gallivan Center. Forest Gospel Pick for the week.

Andrew Bird - Soldier On EP

Andrew Bird
Soldier On EP
(1.2008)
Verdict: Guilty

For some reason when I see that an artist is releasing an EP I have the natural tendency to dismiss whatever music is on the disc without thought. I generally assume that if the songs were any good they would be on a proper album. However, on occasion I have submitted to the alluring call of the catalogue completist and purchased an EP. In most cases I have been less than impressed. Off the top of my head I can’t think of one EP that I consider essential to my musical life. Maybe your musical life is different, but EP’s are just not generally essential to mine. I don’t need more music, in fact I’d probably do well to limit the music I let into my life. I don’t need alternate versions of songs, no matter how much I love them. And I certainly don’t need to own an EP to validate my love of an artist by owning everything they’ve ever released. I just don’t. Now for the contradictions.
Having said so much, Andrew Bird’s EP Soldier On is amazing! (including the alternate versions of ‘Plasticities’ and ‘Heretics’). And this conclusion is not biased by the fact that Andrew Bird’s Mysterious Production of Eggs is one of my favorite albums of all time, although it is. Armchair Apocrypha left me a little concerned that Eggs was just a flash in the pan of greatness. Don’t get me wrong Armchair is good, but there is a distinct line between a good album and a great one, and for me Armchair just didn’t approach the level that Eggs mastered. And then comes Soldier On. Given my inherent skepticism of EPs, it is even more remarkable to me that I can get so excited about a paltry six new songs, and two re-workings of old ones, but Soldier On has reignited my confidence in Andrew Bird. ‘The Trees Were Mistaken’ and ‘How You Gonna Keep ‘em Down on the Farm’ rival any song on Eggs as some of Bird’s best. And the ‘early version’ of 'Heretics' gives insight into the intricacies of Bird’s songwriting, and in my opinion eclipses the album version. Bird shows that his unique style has in no way pigeon holed him. His rhythms and melodies continue to expand and soar. For my money it just doesn’t get much better.

-Spruce Lee

Andrew Bird - "The Tree's Were Mistaken"

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apochrypha

Andrew Bird
Armchair Apocrypha
(03.2007, Fat Possum)
8.5/10

I guess now is as good a time as any to remember Andrew Bird’s Armchair Apocrypha released in March of this year. Fitting for me at least because it has taken quite a bit of time to really discover the wonderful integrity of this album. When FG first started this summer we wanted to review this but no one knew what to say. Following up Mysterious Production of Eggs, one of my favourite albums of all time, it was hard not to be over excited about Armchair Apocrypha. Then, when I listened to it, though I desperately wanted to fall in love with it, there seemed to be nothing that stuck and I would fail to make it through the first few tracks before having to bow out. It quickly went on the back burner as an abundance of additional, wonderful albums came only to resurface occasionally, either when I noticed it while mindlessly scrolling through my Ipod or when I heard parts of it in NPR interlude music. It was only recently that I finally found the circumstances to listen to it as a whole, and then re-listen, and then listen again. First of all let me state this for everyone who has shared my early disillusionment about the album: we missed the mark folks. Armchair Apocrypha contains all the beauty of Andrew Birds subtle, wry lyricism, offbeat instrumentation and, of course, that whistle. The album simply suffers from bad sequencing. For those with great expectations the slow beginning is deflating. However, patience and repeat listening will convert you to every song (even album opener “Fiery Crash” of which I felt destined to skip over every time I listened to the album). After the initial learning curve, Armchair Apocrypha reveals itself as another breezy album of Andrew Bird’s and one of his most rewarding accomplishments to date.

-Mr. Thistle

Andrew Bird on Virb