Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Seven..., 26 Jan 2009
Andrew Bird has a wonderful four albums to his name - the multi-instrumentalist (including classically-trained violinist) reached his zenith with The Mysterious Production Of Eggs, a gorgeous, clever, sophisticated delight of an album. Were you to imagine a muso Jeff Buckley, you'd not be far wrong, with Bird's wonderfully warm, soaring voice accompanying his pizzicato violin, and (often simultaneously) multi-tracked instruments. Noble Beast is a bit of a departure, and not an entirely welcome one. Whereas he's been pretty self-reliant in past, this album sees him rope in some members of Wilco to indie up the sound. The result, with Mark Nevers (producer of Lambchop and Calexico) at the desks, is a little one-dimensional - nice enough, but lacking the kind of flights of fancy that entertained so much, and that can easily be misclassified as experimental. It is an album that has a stronger crust to break through, and once in it is a little flat. Bird seems to have taken himself pretty seriously here - the whimsy of his music lost. Instead, Noble Beast sounds like later-era Paul Simon, but played and sung beautifully. (This review also refers only to CD1...)
|
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mellow Bird, 17 Jan 2009
This latest release comes in two parts, and I haven't heard the 2nd (instumental) CD so these comments refer only to CD1.
Anyone who has heard the European tour release 'Soldier On' will have noted that Andrew Bird was taking a direction towards a sound that was, in general, less of the experimental and more of the melodic style, and that direction is continued with Noble Beast. 'In general' is key.. Firstly this is very unmistakebly Andrew Bird, clever and educated lyrics, the prominant use of violin and whistling, although there is more acoutic guitar used than previosly, and of course the voice that falls somewhere between Rufus Wainwright and Jeff Buckley. Secondly it of course has a few tracks, in the middle of the album, that challenge a bit more while still being listenable; the short tracks Ouo and Unfolding Fans precede the second longest track Not A Robot, But A Ghost. And after that it winds down through the mellow again until the short violin (viola?) coda of On Ho.
And inbetween is my personal favourite, Privateers, which, as John Peel may have said, is a thing of great beauty. To give an indication of the overall quality of writing, that track has more than hint of the writing of Leonard Cohen about it, and elsewhere there are also musical leanings towards such diverse performers as Paul Simon, Donovan and others that I frustratingly can't place.
All in all this is a very approachable and listenable, and dare I even say commercial album than some of AB's previous releases, and I guess directed more to his USA audience, where he can sell out arenas and moderate sized stadia - at the date of this review the album is No. 91 on Amazon USA, and No. 568 on Amazon UK. It has a more acoustic and mellow feel to it than Armchair Apocrypha, and as such is a new musical journey.
So why only 4 stars? Well, it does fall short of being absolutely outstanding, but not far short, and there's no facility for 4.5 stars, which it what I'd like to give it.
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best albums of the year, 28 April 2009
Having recently caught many people's attention on the live music TV show, From The Basement, Andrew Bird's captivating performance whetted the appetite for his fifth solo studio album, Noble Beast. The intimate nature of the performance showcased Bird's greatest assets: a closed-eyes intensity, complex multi-instrument sonic landscaping and intoxicating lyricism. Bird's signature one-man-band innovation (he executes his songs solo with the help of loop pedals) coupled with his eerie whistling forays made for an engaging experience. The slight concern with Noble Beast is whether or not it can be as affecting as the live performance and whether or not its fourteen tracks are too ambitious or too dense to enjoy.
If there is one criticism that could be levelled against the classically-trained Andrew Bird, it is that his melodies often meander aimlessly rather than going in the direction you expected them to. Obvious chorus opportunities seem to come into conflict with Bird's intellect and creative craftsmanship. However, this is really a minor irritation and if Andrew Bird was in any way compliant, he would not be nearly as intriguing. Happily, Noble Beast sees Bird eschew his obvious proclivity towards the musically abstruse in favour of more melodious ventures. The format is still the same though: scholarly lyricism and eccentric storytelling of loneliness and yearning dovetailed by Bird's intrinsically sorrowful, but always warming, compositions.
Right from the off it is clear that Bird is not for pigeon holing. Whereas opening track Oh No juxtaposes a string-laden jazz introduction with upbeat claps and whistles verse and chorus borrowed from Belle and Sebastian, Masterswarm places you straight on the Mexican-American border with Ennio Morricone atmospherics and Calexico-like mood swings. The constant hopping from genre to genre does take time to get used to but this in itself is quite a pleasurable bind.
Tenuosness is a clear stand out - its weave of intricate poetry ("Tenuous at best was all he had to say / When pressed about the rest of it the world that is / From proto-Sanskrit Minoans to Porto-centric Lisboans / Greek Cypriots and and harbour-sorts who hang around in ports a lot") complimented by a haunting string composition. Nomenclature also impresses; its subtle tale about a life of isolation soon transforms itself into a jolting, angry protest.
The album's highlight is its final quartet of tracks proper (the real final track being an instrumental closer). Anonanimal's surprising Radiohead-style chorus - the first time Noble Beast grabs you by the shirt collar - is perhaps an indication that Bird is willing to attract a wider audience that requires the comforting appearance of an electric guitar, although Bird doesn't exactly stomp on the reverb pedal for very long. The Privateers sense of young optimism again recalls Tigermilk-era Belle and Sebasitan, providing a more immediate appeal to the casual listener. Natural Disaster is one of Noble Beast's most delicate moments. Bird's folk roots are clearly apparent throughout but it is this track's subtle sing-along pretensions that are most endearing. If Bird never quite goes into Hey Jude territory, this song may be as near as he ever ventures. The beautiful crescendo chorus of Souverian soars, pauses for breath and builds once more. It is a heartbreaking way to end this record and while drowned in misery it may be, Bird has his own way of making the whole thing sound almost appealing.
With Noble Beast, Andrew Bird has - in his own inimitable, esoteric fashion - created something equally beautiful, mesmeric and enlightening. Welcome are the tambourine taps, occasional hand clapping sessions and female backing vocals, all of which help to lubricate Bird's raw, obscure subject matter and unusual, if not unpalatable, arrangements. Bird's sound is now more focused and for the first time he has produced an album characterised not by its frustrating, if likeable eccentricity, but by its roundedness and accessibility.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
~ Various Artists
~ Animal Collective
~ Antony and the Johnsons
~ Grizzly Bear
~ Andrew Bird
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home