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Armchair Apocrypha
Andrew Bird
Release Date: March 20, 2007
by Maya Marin
Noisetap Editor

Armchair Apocrypha is sure to please fans who favor the classical/film soundtrack inspired indie-pop of Weather Systems (2003) and Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005) over Bird’s earlier, jazzier Bowl of Fire repertoire. With his virtuosic violin playing (peppered with his characteristic pizzicato), wide vocal range, ear for melody, and gift for erudite wordplay, he’s one of those rare artists who’s carved out a sound so distinct, it’s not likely you’d mistake him for someone else.

Apocrypha is heavier on the catchy guitar hooks (“Heretics,” “Fiery Crash”) and grander in scale than the two preceding albums, and there’s a sense of vulnerability in songs like “Dark Matter” and “Armchairs” that his previous recordings didn’t quite approach. For example, in “Armchairs,” Bird sings: “I dreamed you were a cosmonaut / of the space between our chairs / and I was a cartographer / of tangles in your hair.”

Apocrypha also infuses highly personal imagery with themes of political and social consciousness. In “Scythian Empires,” Bird delivers an up-tempo, poetic indictment of destructive corporate/imperial interests: “The five day forecast’s been black tar rains and hellfire / …the Halliburton attaché cases are useless / while scotch-guarded Macintoshes shall be carbonized / now they’re offering views of exiting empires.” One of the most infectious songs on the album, “Plasticities,” speaks of the vanity of war and expansionism without resorting to preachy moralizing: “We’ll fight / we’ll fight for your music halls and dying cities / they’ll fight / they’ll fight for your neural walls and plastic cities / and precious territory / and precious territory.”

As mentioned earlier, Apocrypha has enough of Bird’s signature layered violin, theremin and super-human whistling skills to keep fans happy, as well as a refreshing boost in the rhythm and programming department thanks to his collaboration with experimental drummer Martin Dosh.

I suppose my one and only quibble with Apocrypha is that it wasn’t as gripping a collection of tunes at first listen as was Mysterious Production (in this reviewer's opinion, one the best albums of 2005). But asking that an artist continuously top their previous efforts, especially after having scaled such heights, is simply unfair.


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