So Andrew Bird played the Harro East Ballroom here in Rochester this past fall, and I was rather excited to see him perform, having never seen his play previously. In the end, I was disappointed; Bird seemed to just be more willing to dick around for two hours than actually playing his material; on the whole, the concert was haphazard and shambolic. Despite the fact that I bought Armchair Apocrypha on vinyl that night, I kind of soured on Bird after the show. I’ve resolved to see him in the future, but only if he’s playing with a band.

That said, Bird released the first single from his upcoming album, Break It Yourself, yesterday to the world at large. Entitled “Eyeoneye,” the track is hazier than I’ve come to expect from the Chicago multi-instrumentalist. Even his trademark whistle is confined to brief sections, rather than permeating the entire four-minute span of the song. It’s a solid first track from the album, and it’s one that makes me nearly forget why I was upset with him.

Break It Yourself is available for pre-order through Bird’s website, and he’s announced a bunch of tour dates as well to coincide with the album’s release. If you purchase a ticket to one of the shows, you’ll receive two live EPs – one from the fated tour from this past October, and another from the upcoming tour, as well as a copy of Break It Yourself on the release date of March 6. (If you don’t live close to one of the cities that Bird is hitting this spring, you can still pre-order that bundle for $15 as well.)

Connect with Andrew Bird // Facebook | Twitter | web

This is a cool project that I’ve been spending a lot of time taking in over the past couple of days.  It’s called The Voice Project, whose basic mission is to bring peace to the African nation of Uganda.  As a part of their service, they enlist various artists to cover their favorite songs, and The Voice Project puts them online for viewers.  This particular video is of one of our favorites – Andrew Bird – covering a track of Cass McCombs’.  Please make sure to check out the rest of the available videos, and support the project if you can.  There are some excellent covers available – including Parts & Labor doing a track from No Age, and Jesca Hoop covering Bon Iver.  Head over to voiceproject.org to check out the project as a whole.

Andrew Bird » Cass McCombs from The Voice Project on Vimeo.

As of this post, I am more than halfway done with this project.  So, if you’ve been waiting to see the end of it, you’ve got about another 14 months or so.  Sorry.  If you’re hear and don’t know what I’m talking about, check my full list, and the rules, over here.  Be about it.

109. Andrew Bird – Armchairs (mp3) from Armchair Apocrypha (7:03) [Time Remaining: 499:02]

Multi-layered and literate, Mr. Bird’s lyrics are often more well read than I can claim to be.  Or, they may just sound that way, and not mean anything.  But either way, there’s a stark beauty running throughout his lyrics.  “Armchairs” is no different in that regard.

The centerpiece of Andrew Bird’s seminal work Armchair Apocrypha, “Armchairs” an absolute thrill to listen to.  It expands and contracts, building to a powerful final minute, and showcasing an artist that should be far more appreciated than he is.

110. Sunny Day Real Estate – Pillars (mp3) from How It Feels To Be Something On (4:57) [Time Remaining: 494:05]

I went backwards with Sunny Day Real Estate – getting their third album before their first two, so How It Feels To Be Something On has far more weight for me than Diary does.  (Which is why it has 2 songs on this list, and none for Diary, despite the widespread belief that Diary is more influential.)

“Pillars” is the opening track of the album, and it’s moody and downtrodden, and was definitive the 19 year-old version of me.  Even now, 12 years later, it’s still close to perfect.  And while I don’t need it for the same reasons I did (read: angst), the fact that I identified with it so strongly then makes it comfortable now.

We are big fans of what Sean Moeller does at Daytrotter.  If you’re unaware of what the site is all about, allow us to give you a basic rundown: Sean brings artists and bands into his studio where they record 4 or 5 songs, which he subsequently puts up on the site for free.  Some tracks have limited availability, but for the most part, the site is a treasure chest of alternate versions of songs from artists you already love.

I personally don’t utilize the site as much as I should.  There’s a backlog of nearly 900 sessions, dating back to the start of 2006.  Looking quickly, there are sets from bands ranging in scope from Death Cab for Cutie and Spoon to Cold War Kids (2 sessions!) and Vampire Weekend to people I’ve never even heard of.  The site is well written, well drawn, and completely engrossing.  Right now I’m into the session from Brazos, which was released back toward the end of January.  The site is updated almost daily with new sessions, and we highly recommend you spend some time pouring through the extensive catalog.  Let us be plain: you will find something you love.

Here are some of my favorite songs from the sessions I’ve collected.

Andrew Bird – Plasticities (Daytrotter Session) (mp3)

French Kicks – Knee High (Daytrotter Session) (mp3)

The Maccabees – First Love (Daytrotter Session) (mp3)

12. Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
Andy : 11 :: Dave : 26

If you peruse this blog with any frequency, you’ll have noticed at least three posts devoted solely to Andrew Bird (not including appearances on our 1000 Minutes lists) in the near-year we’ve been writing this.  With nearly 400 posts written, that might not seem like a lot, but with the amount of music that Dave and I consume, to keep returning to a single artist time and again is a testament to Mr. Bird’s undeniable talent.  Noble Beast is another shining example of his virtuosity, his creativity, and his ability to craft smart, refreshing chamber pop.

With songs laced with intricate wordplay, a plethora of instrumentation and a penchant for self-referencing, Andrew Bird is a force with which to be reckoned.  Known for his ability to completely reconstruct his songs during concerts, Noble Beast has already been (in part) re-worked on a subsequent EP.  Noble Beast, not unlike the remainder of Mr. Bird’s discography, is not to be missed.

Andrew Bird – Masterswarm (mp3) from Noble Beast

11. The XX – xx
Andy : 14 :: Dave : 11

What words to use in reference to this band? A band whose album has been on the receiving end of a multitude of praise nearly everywhere this year? If by some miracle you are unaware of the youthful indie powerhouse known as The xx, this is not the best nor most informative site for reference. To match this band’s music, I will attempt to be concise and subdued, though imagine I will be quite a bit less lyrical.

The day this album was released there hadn’t quite been an outpouring of buzz just yet. I tested it out on Amie Street and received an immediate impression from ‘Intro,’ of a similarity in feeling I experienced upon first hearing Interpol’s debut record. There are moments of guitar work that are familiar, but the vocals, beats and aesthetic of The xx are certainly not related to those same elements in Interpol’s work. Each listener can choose which part of this talented band’s music they would love to proselytize. If I had to choose one I might go with the interplay of vocalists Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft and how they exude pure sex. But then again I may refer to the sparse guitars. On the other hand, if upon listening you are not immediately swept up in the sea of praise and wonder where the accolades are coming from, I advise to not give up on this record. Multiple consumptions only serve to embrace the impressiveness of this debut. Each time I’ve listened I’ve been gripped ever tighter.

The xx – Night Time (mp3) from xx

I’ve been rehashing all the albums I have amassed over the past 10 months or so for our impending Best of 2009 list, and so I’ve been back enjoying Andrew Bird.  His January release, Noble Beast, is still excellent, not surprisingly.  I’ve also been listening to the reworked versions that were released as a part of his Fitz and The Dizzyspells EP that was issued in May.

“Anonanimal” was my favorite off the album, so it’s not really a surprise that it’s simpler reworking – re-titled “See the Enemy” on the EP – is my favorite from the EP as well.  The soaring strings of the original are replaced by plucked ones, the lyrics are slowed and reorganized.  And you know, it sounds equally as fantastic.

Andrew Bird – See the Enemy (mp3) from Fitz and The Dizzyspells EP

Andrew Bird – Anonanimal (mp3) from Noble Beast

Two in two days. I don’t have much else to share at the moment so go here to understand this project and enjoy the tunes.

41. Interpol – Untitled (mp3) from Turn On The Bright Lights (3:56) [Time Remaining: 825:04]

I wanted to wait and write about Turn On The Bright Lights as an Essential Album, though we have kinda slacked on that front. Because I haven’t written one of those in months I figured it was about time to insert this particular song into my list. Without analyzing it further, I would say it is rare that the highlight of an album is the opener. This particular album opener, would be very high on a list of favorite openers of all time for me. There isn’t much to the lyrics though the evocation adds something. In this instance it’s mostly about the music, and it’s enthralling.

42. Andrew Bird – Dark Matter (mp3) from Armchair Apocrypha (5:07) [Time Remaining: 819:57]

I had to insert the whistling man in here at some point, and now is as good a time as any. This being my favorite off 2007′s wondrous Armchair Apocrypha, the lyrics conquer deep themes all while circumventing the specific words normally conjured when pondering mortality and the meaning of life. Whenever I listen to Andrew Bird I feel that he is operating on his own plane of thought somewhere above everyone else. His lyrics are sometimes scientifically based and complex and they only serve to make me enjoy his music more. This song is a great example of that, and it all started with a game of Operation.

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Today’s installment of my 1000 Minutes project finds me with a couple of new-ish songs – one from 2 years ago, the other from last year.

11. Andrew Bird – Plasticities (mp3) (4:29) [Time Remaining: 958:31] from Armchair Apocrypha

Layered thick with pizzicato violin, whistles, crunchy guitar and handclaps, this song is a tour de force.  Warnings about government control never sounded so good.

12. Fleet Foxes – Blue Ridge Mountains (mp3) (4:26) [Time Remaining: 954:05] from Fleet Foxes

Yes, we just put up some Fleet Foxes yesterday, but this song was far and away my favorite from the album that was far and away my favorite of 2008.  I think this song showcases the band at their instrumental best.  It doesn’t boast the soaring harmonies that a lot of reviewers rave over, but the jangly guitar, plinking keys and driving drum all build up to provide one of the most overwhelmingly beautiful songs in recent memory.

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In an extra super special 30^th birthday (Andy) edition of the smörgåsbord we have some sweet tracks to down. Whet your appetite with an amuse-bouche of looping, pensive house, wash it down with a Fleet Foxes b-side from their very first single, then saddle up to the buffet line and get a helping of music from a commercial, and and top it all off with a slice of birthday song.

Rekid – Next Stop Chicago (mp3) from the Next Stop Chicago single

Fleet Foxes – Isles (mp3) from the White Winter Hymnal single

Oh No – Heavy (mp3) from Dr. No’s Oxperiment

Andrew Bird – The Happy Birthday Song (mp3) from The Mysterious Production of Eggs

We’ve discussed Andrew Bird here before, so there’s really no need to rehash the love we have for his music. Staying in yesterday evening, I revisited some older tunes, and both remixes I have of his songs popped up. They aren’t mash-ups or complete re-workings; both stay fairly true to the original songs (from Armchair Apocrypha), and both are excellent.  “Plasticities” is fleshed out some, so you can hear the layers of the song better, and the Four Tet remix of “Imitosis” loops in some drums and plucking, and drops a lot of the strings.

Andrew Bird – Plasticities (Remix) (mp3) from the Soldier On EP (link to Pitchfork’s review. Good luck finding the EP.)

Andrew Bird – Imitosis (Four Tet Remix) (mp3)

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