ANDREW BIRD - Noble Beast

Noble Beast is songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird's fifth full-length release. Like past efforts, this album showcases the classically trained Bird's ability to meticulously craft songs, adding dramatic flourishes with the help of his violin. Stylistically, much of the album reflects his previous work: dramatic, academic lyrics paired with baroque compositions that variously incorporate whistling, handclaps, pizzicato plucking, stomps, and elements of gypsy jazz, resulting in melodic, accessible pop-folk comparable to the Shins, the Hidden Cameras, Mark Kozelek, or even Bird's recent tourmate, Sandro Perri. Tracks to check out: "Oh No", "Fitz And The Dizzyspells", "Masterswarm", and "Effigy".