Andrew Bird's Noble Beast does not disappoint

Bird exercises his range of vocabulary and vocals on Noble Beast.

By Andrea Kszystyniak

Published Jan. 27, 2009

Nobody composes music like Andrew Bird. This one-man orchestra, professional whistler, glockenspiel extraordinaire and expert violinist express himself in ways that no one can truly understand. His lyrics are deeply personal, cryptic and mostly unfinished.

But in this rawness and honesty, there is much left to the imagination. As he trails off at the end of lines of near lyrical genius, listeners are left wondering, "What on earth is this man thinking?"

Bird's style is finely tuned and very much a product of classic instrumentation and sheer musical skill. Bird does not flaunt his talent by continually producing overly technical tracks. In fact, Bird is just as happy simply picking away at his guitar, hitting single notes.

Noble Beast, the indie folk musician's latest release, proves rather familiar fare. The opening track, "Oh No," showcases Bird's all-too-prominent whistling skills, signaling the start of an album that doesn't vary much from the previously released Mysterious Production of Eggs.

"Tenuousness," one of the stronger tracks on the album, is demonstrative of Bird's always astounding ability to turn himself into a one-man orchestra. Bird is the master of woodwinds compositions and makes this quite evident at several points throughout the album. The warm orchestral pieces such as that showcased in "Effigy" are intricate and interesting.

This album is certainly an improvement from 2007's Armchair Apocrypha, which was a rather cumbersome and heavy piece of work. Vocally, Bird matured and his vocal stylings became reminiscent of those used by Thom Yorke on Hail to the Thief.

Instrumentals bear resemblance to Radiohead pieces as well. The opening to "Not a Robot, But a Ghost" is somewhat mechanical and electronic with fast drums and a loop that could have been taken straight from The Bends. The same is true for "The Privateers," an instrumentally heavy piece with a surprise tempo change that makes it all the more pleasing.

None of the songs really seem to have a focal point, which is something that Bird has always been able to pull off, using random sounds and words that are not always sensible to achieve a final affect that is very classic in nature.

Regardless, Bird's vocals still place him leagues above other modern lyricists. His vocabulary near unmatched, he is able to make word combinations like "calcified arhythmatists" from the opening track "Oh No" fit into a song in a reasonable and rhythmic way. Although tracks are sometimes stilted and awkward, such as "Nomenclature," they almost always hit the mark.

This album is certainly recommended for fans of recent phenomenon Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and She & Him. Andrew Bird fans won't be disappointed. This album is everything expected and more.