Thursday, July 12, 2007

Fly in Any Weather


Have you listened to enough Andrew Bird, lately? I think not, but I'll recommend so. Why enjoy "Imitosis," above, and other Birdman hits? Well, first introduced to me by a tried and true source of things de la ultima moda--including traveling the world, curing the sick, and listening to exceptional music--you'll find Bird's tunes can be described best as "farm boy folk rock." He earns a sought-after stamp of approval (B+) from my argotic idols over at Stylus Magazine, that boasts such descriptions as "prolific, long obscured folk-pop hybrid," "lyrical rhymes," "superior elegance," and one song in particular has an "ecstatic, achingly melodic finale."

If that's not enough, Pitchfork bestows the gift of truth: that his new album, "Armchair Apocrypha is ultimately another object of strange and unique beauty from this inventive songwriter and performer." And you'll forgive the fact that he's from the Second City, when you see they report that he's on Janet Reno's Song of America compilation, a patriotic lineup of songs that, in Reno's words are "focusing on key periods in American history, in order to tell our story to young people who might find joy in learning history through music."

Can I get two 'whats' for Birdman? One more for Janet proving the GOP doesn't have a monopoly on patriotism? And one more for good measure?

Why thank you; we appreciate it.

2 comments:

AJP said...

A must share.

From: Liz Magee
To: Akshai J. Patel
Date: Liz writes on 11 July
Subject: Re: Invitation to view Liz's album - Mi querido hermano, Mateo

why Matt Magee has good taste:
1. He's 29 years old and has lived in 7 different countries. His perspective is unequivocally cosmopolitan.
2. 75% of the respectable music I listen to, movies I watch, drinks I imbibe, and places I visit are based solely upon his recommendations.
3. I think he may have been personally responsible for the current popularity of Wilco, Postal Service, Andrew Bird, Arcade Fire, and any of a number of other uber-cool musical sensations.
4. He gave me Pablo Neruda and inspired me to learn Spanish. Changed my life.
5. Have you met his girlfriend? He's got to be amazing in order to score someone like Dita.
6. He worked on a needle exchange program in New Delhi. You don't mess around with shit like that.
7. Have you met his sister? She's [expletive deleted] awesome.

John R. said...

Senor Akshai - here's your "what, what" for Andrew Bird. He happens to be one of my favorites and am glad he's still low key enough that his shows are immensely enjoyable. We saw him in PHX last year and are looking forward to seeing him in Atlanta in Semptember after we move...what, what, indeed...