My Finest Work Yet
General
| Apr 2019
Reviews
Francis D
Reviewed 2019-04-21
Reviewed 2019-04-21
“My Finest Work Yet” Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird is an enigma. Part philosopher. Part storyteller. Virtuoso violinist. One-of-a-kind whistler. On “My Finest Work Yet,” he’s back with his twelfth solo release and what may well be, uh, his finest work yet. It’s simultaneously dark and drily humorous — filled with intelligent ruminations about life’s big philosophical questions. All of this is wrapped in exquisitely produced indie rock — in this case, recorded live in the studio with no overdubs, headphones or separation between performers — with folk or chamber rock leanings at times. Highly recommended!
— Francis
Recommended: 1, 2, 8, 10, 4, 6, 5. No FCCs detected.
1. (4:08) Sisyphus — Soaring and melodic. Thumping, deliberate beat — with rolling tom-toms. Classic Andrew Bird sound, with prominent whistling solos. ****
2. (6:30) Bloodless — Jazzy and breezy. Pleasing piano, with shimmering synth, strings and rich harmonies backing Bird’s lead vocals. Great violin solo. Commentary on today’s political environment, “It’s an uncivil war.” ****
3. (4:00) Olympians — Up-tempo, angsty with driving energy, cello and plucked violin.
4. (3:13) Cracking Codes — Beautiful piano ballad. Uplifting harmonized vocals. Strings and some whistling underneath. ***
5. (4:27) Fallorun — Opens with feedbacks and strange loops. Vaguely Middle Eastern sound. Resolves to pulsing, somewhat noisy rock. ***
6. (4:38) Archipelago — Chamber rock. Flowing strings with pulsing rhythms created with plucked violin and bass, and intriguing lyrics about J. Edgar Hoover and a three-headed monster that swallows Tokyo. ***
7. (4:05) Proxy War — Another rhythm-driven, toe-tapping, slightly jazzy number that builds throughout.
8. (5:17) Manifest — Cinematic, expansive folk-rock reminiscent of some of the best tunes of the 1960s. Leisurely feeling with strummed guitar, violin and whistling. ****
9. (4:31) Don The Struggle — Slow, rigid march-like beat. Bass. Piano. Plucked violin. Shifts to a playful ditty with handclaps. Soaring violin in lead break.
10. (4:27) Bellevue Bridge Club — Sweet and melodic tune — serving as a counterpoint to the disturbing lyrics, which reference playing cards in a psych ward. ***
Andrew Bird is an enigma. Part philosopher. Part storyteller. Virtuoso violinist. One-of-a-kind whistler. On “My Finest Work Yet,” he’s back with his twelfth solo release and what may well be, uh, his finest work yet. It’s simultaneously dark and drily humorous — filled with intelligent ruminations about life’s big philosophical questions. All of this is wrapped in exquisitely produced indie rock — in this case, recorded live in the studio with no overdubs, headphones or separation between performers — with folk or chamber rock leanings at times. Highly recommended!
— Francis
Recommended: 1, 2, 8, 10, 4, 6, 5. No FCCs detected.
1. (4:08) Sisyphus — Soaring and melodic. Thumping, deliberate beat — with rolling tom-toms. Classic Andrew Bird sound, with prominent whistling solos. ****
2. (6:30) Bloodless — Jazzy and breezy. Pleasing piano, with shimmering synth, strings and rich harmonies backing Bird’s lead vocals. Great violin solo. Commentary on today’s political environment, “It’s an uncivil war.” ****
3. (4:00) Olympians — Up-tempo, angsty with driving energy, cello and plucked violin.
4. (3:13) Cracking Codes — Beautiful piano ballad. Uplifting harmonized vocals. Strings and some whistling underneath. ***
5. (4:27) Fallorun — Opens with feedbacks and strange loops. Vaguely Middle Eastern sound. Resolves to pulsing, somewhat noisy rock. ***
6. (4:38) Archipelago — Chamber rock. Flowing strings with pulsing rhythms created with plucked violin and bass, and intriguing lyrics about J. Edgar Hoover and a three-headed monster that swallows Tokyo. ***
7. (4:05) Proxy War — Another rhythm-driven, toe-tapping, slightly jazzy number that builds throughout.
8. (5:17) Manifest — Cinematic, expansive folk-rock reminiscent of some of the best tunes of the 1960s. Leisurely feeling with strummed guitar, violin and whistling. ****
9. (4:31) Don The Struggle — Slow, rigid march-like beat. Bass. Piano. Plucked violin. Shifts to a playful ditty with handclaps. Soaring violin in lead break.
10. (4:27) Bellevue Bridge Club — Sweet and melodic tune — serving as a counterpoint to the disturbing lyrics, which reference playing cards in a psych ward. ***
Recent airplay
Olympians, Sisyphus
Comes to Mind — May 22, 2024
Sisyphus
The Library (rebroadcast from May 29, 2019) — Jun 27, 2021
Olympians
KZSU Time Traveler — Jun 11, 2021
Sisyphus
KZSU Time Traveler — Jan 10, 2020
Sisyphus
THe Library — Jan 08, 2020
Manifest
KZSU Time Traveler — Dec 20, 2019
Charting
2019-04-30 — 2019-07-02
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| Jun 30 | 2 |
| Jun 23 | 2 |
| Jun 16 | 2 |
| Jun 9 | 4 |
| Jun 2 | 5 |
| May 26 | 1 |
| May 19 | 3 |
| May 12 | 2 |
Track listing
| 1. | Sisyphus | ||
| 2. | Bloodless | ||
| 3. | Olympians | ||
| 4. | Cracking Codes | ||
| 5. | Fallorun | ||
| 6. | Archipelago | ||
| 7. | Proxy War | ||
| 8. | Manifest | ||
| 9. | Don The Struggle | ||
| 10. | Bellevue Bridge Club |