Andrew Bird...and his Eggs

I'd never heard of Andrew Bird nor his production of eggs until a friend gave me the album in a casual way. Although this album came out in the beginning of 2005 it still fits into today's indie musical landscape. Bird, a singer-songwriter and violinist, was originally a member of the band Squirrel Nut Zippers but usually worked with his group Bowl of Fire. He normally produced folk, swing, rock, and jazz inspired work, but this album sees him as a distinctive voice in the singer-songwriter field.

This isn't typical sounding singer-songwriter music. The most immediate realization is the orchestration and strings involved with each song. If I knew he was a violinist before listening to this album it wouldn't have come as such a big surprise. There are some pretty grand arrangements here. Upon doing some background reading on Bird, I find that he's pretty eclectic in fluences and production. For the most part this album finds Bird in a subdued mood with occasional busts of expression on tracks "Fake Palindromes" and "Opposite Day." This album is mellow, and intricatly woven with string accents among Bird's interesting lyrics.

This album sounds relatively easy-going but when you get down to listening to the interplay between Bird's voice, guitar and strings (violin, cello, bass) you come to realize that this is actually an ambitious record. It's amazing that Bird makes everything come to together so cohesively. This album will take a little while to sink in, and there is no way it can all be dissected after one or two listens. Don't hessitate to listen though, even if you don't want to understand the minutiae this will still be an enjoyable album.