Track Listing
DISC 1:
1. Oh No
2. Masterswarm
3. Fitz And The Dizzyspells
4. Effigy
5. Tenuousness
6. Nomenclature
7. Ouo
8. Not A Robot, But A Ghost
9. Unfolding Fans
10. Anonanimal
11. Natural Disaster
12. Privateers, The
13. Souverian
14. On Ho
DISC 2:
1. Master Sigh
2. You Woke Me Up!
3. Nyatiti
4. Barn Tapes, The
5. Carrion Suite
6. Spinney
7. Dissent
8. Hot Math
9. Sigh Master
| Details | | Producer: | Andrew Bird | | Distributor: | RED Distribution | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Personnel: Andrew Bird (vocals, guitar, violin); Jeremy Ylvisaker (guitar, organ, bass guitar); Emil Savangen (flute, background vocals); Mike Lewis (clarinet); Martin Dosh (keyboards, percussion); David Lindvall (bass guitar); Andreas Werlin (drums); Glenn Kotche (percussion); Kelly Hogan (background vocals); Todd Sickafoose, Ben Martin, Tony Crow.
Audio Mixers: David Boucher; Mark Nevers; Todd Sickafoose.
Audio Remasterers: Jeff Lipton; Maria Rice.
Recording information: Berkeley Street Studios, Santa Monica Ca.
A more organic and subdued outing than its predecessor, ARMCHAIR APOCRYPHA, 2009's NOBLE BEAST finds singer/violinist/guitarist Andrew Bird further refining his elegant, erudite brand of indie-pop. From the breezy, lilting opener "Oh No" to the wistful, strings-only "On Ho," the Chicagoan performer wanders purposefully through his own strange musical landscape, stopping off for fascinating moments such as the chiming "Fitz & Dizzyspells" and the percussive "Not a Robot, But a Ghost." Although Bird's lit-major lyrics and dynamic, classically-minded arrangements may scare off listeners looking for more immediate thrills, those who allow BEAST to work its magic will be happily entranced by its considerable charms.
Editorial Reviews
3.5 stars out of 5 -- This beast takes care and feeding, but its purring tongue has hints to drop about our changing times.
Blender
4.5 stars out of 5 -- Debut single 'Oh No' combines gently picked acoustic guitar, delicate beats and Bird's signature whistling to create a lush soundscape for the musician's literary lyrics to play upon.
Alternative Press
3.5 stars out of 5 -- With his SAT-acing vocabulary, Bird still rocks some of the best rhymes in the game....Bird's phlegmatic voice has a way of softening tragedies and soothing beasts -- natural, noble, or otherwise.
Spin
Here, Bird's arrangements are uncharacteristically subtle. Trademark orchestral swells take the backburner to confident vocals, easy melodies, guitar plucking and -- yes -- freakishly good whistling.
Paste
3.5 stars out of 5 -- [I]t's Bird's impressionistic lyrics that carry the emotional payload. 'Nomenclature' is a sweet ballad that explodes unexpectedly.
Rolling Stone
4 stars out of 5 -- His trademark whistling and twilight violin lend a blissful sense of romantic resignation to the folky 'Masterswarm' and the gypsy-tinged 'Tenuousness'...
Mojo
Andrew Bird's latest offering plays out like a weird dream sequence. The multi-instrumentalist uses his skill to great effect...
Clash
4 stars out of 5 -- '[T]he unhurried 'Natural Disaster' is as elegiac as pop music can be and, once it gets going, 'The Privateers' is proof that he can do thumping pop too.
Q
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