On Noble Beast, you hear the sound of the maestro at his most relaxed, as he loosens. While this album delivers a few indie pop gems, mostly, it falls short of his output with his other band. The violin has always played a central role in Andrew Birds music. Separating his solo work from that group’s music is tricky.

STANDOUTS: “The Heartbreak Rides” builds steadily, gaining urgency with each verse, before unspooling a cathartic instrumental coda.ĪNDY SAYS: Newman plays a large role in the New Pornographers. Lyrics and video for the song Souverian by Andrew Bird - Songfacts. From the bucolic photograph adorning the cover to his groomed, incredibly appealing voice, Andrew Bird’s music is pleasant and ostensibly innocuous. TRIVIA: The New York Times covered Newman’s 2007 marriage to Christy Simpson, a marketing manager for Matador Records. His latest effort, Noble Beast, is no exception. WHY CARE?: The frontman for the New Pornographers releases his second solo album.

Some are fey to the point of distraction, but when Hegarty is on - during the poppy “Kiss My Name” or the simple ballad “Aeon” - he delivers songs as distinct as his voice. STANDOUTS: Singing alongside faint piano, Hegarty uses his trembling falsetto to take “Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground” into the sky.ĪNDY SAYS: Spirits seem to haunt these tracks. TRIVIA: Antony Hegarty, the group’s frontman, played in a death metal band while growing up in California. WHY CARE?: Antony and the Johnsons returns with the follow-up to “I Am a Bird Now,” which won the United Kingdom’s Mercury Prize.

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