CD Review: Andrew Bird

By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com)Break it Yourself ANDREW BIRD  * * * *Bird’s brand of intellectual pop is fascinatingly quirky, and certainly singular and artistic. He’s a tender constructor, coated by impeccable whistling, guitar and fiddle playing. The pitch-perfect space he lives in is often layered with subtle, yet complex rhythms and Break It Yourself manages to take another step in the effort of career progression. While I have, at times, considered Bird a musician’s musician, his scope here can be as accessible as the catchiest of pop hooks, or as fiercely thought-out as a Bach piece.Being fairly familiar with a good portion of Bird’s nine studio albums since 1998’s vaudevillian-vibed Thrills, his niche lies in attaining grandiose within his arrangements. In this set, the presence of long, classical-influenced fiddle textures over muted fiddle picking is prevalent, while guitar takes a foundational role. Much of the material seems ideal for his solo performances in which he loops, creating layer after layer of depth and texture of what becomes his music lab.A local artist friend commented, “His new album is incredible … seems musically calmer, yet lyrically more agitated than normal.” Agreed. Bird will perform at the Center for the Arts on August 18.