Break It Yourself
Mom+Pop
****
For an artist who painstakingly crafts arcane sounds into complex song structures, Andrew Bird's music really shouldn't feel this effortless. The latest solo LP from the prolific US singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist spans an entire hour, yet it seems to float by like a leaf on a warm breeze.
The major characteristics of one of his latter albums, Noble Beast, also grace this latest collection of indie-folk; yearning Appalachian strings, laid-back rhythms and a tone that constantly veers between melancholy and optimism.
Towards the beginning of the record, the upbeat numbers Danse Carribe, Give it Away and Eyeoneye show Bird almost reaching a stomp, the latter even featuring an electric guitar and evoking the likes of Bright Eyes or early REM. Things quickly settle down on the mournful Lazy Projector, a slow lament on which luscious strings veer with the singer's signature whistle. The heady Lusitania sees Bird joined by St Vincent's Annie Clark and features a beautifully restrained country vocal from the rock songstress.
Closing with the instrumental Belles – a series of ethereal chimes set against a woozy, atmospheric backdrop of strings – there isn't a single misstep to be found on the record, even if it sometimes feels a little low-stakes. Intentionally or otherwise, Break It Yourself seems more restrained than its predecessor, with nothing quite as catchy as the 2009 LP's Oh No, and nothing quite as bizarre as Not A Robot, But A Ghost, but if this more reserved album is what the future holds for Bird, then it's no bad thing.