track review: Andrew Bird's "Imitosis"
i think this album art may have achieved perfection.
alright. now that i'm out of bed and trying to live like a normal human being, i'd say it's high time to share with you the song that has recently held my fascination. besides "Oh, MJ!" which i play just about every other minute, when not lying prostrate. half kidding.

it's a habit that every time i mention Andrew's name, the opening notes of "A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head" (from The Mysterious Production) come crowding into my head as i try to push them out, unwilling to have the track spinning in my brain for the next week and a half. but here comes "Imitosis," a song so good that it gets the rare "track spotlight" here on NfT (you know i like me my album reviews). this song is so catchy, so swanky, so bluesy violinsy poppy perfect, that it is absolutely irresistable after the first listen. i was already excited for Armchair Apocrypha, but when i heard track 2 come beating into my speakers -- lo-fi organic drum rap -- followed by the sexy smooth electric plucking, i knew i was in love. ah, but not yet! then comes himself, crooning, highlighted, backed by only his plucking and a rising acoustic, which then shifts out into the same lo-fi drums and oh, that violin. the treat here, besides the happy genius of the instrumentation, is his voice. Andrew fashions his usually lagging vocals, that stringing of syllables (an acquired listen), into a seductive, beautiful display of range and understanding of the movement in this song. it's gorgeous. it's addictive. and you will listen to it on repeat.

must i say a few words on the album? my dear readers, it is a treat that you cannot miss. my fair opinion is that it sweeps The Mysterious Production of Eggs in every aspect, but especially in the dynamic from song to song. nothing stays the same, and it never gets boring, ever -- an experience i didn't have so much with the former album. i am otherwise no Andrew Bird expert, so let me know if there is anything i overlooked in the albums' comparison.

::::oh, my god, welcome back to the magic of Andrew Bird!
Andrew Bird - Imitosis
taken down by request.

please head to the hype machine for the single, "Heretics," which borders on Jack Johnson-esque vocals at least twice (as the gunman shows up at my door). but, just because i love you..

Bonus: Andrew Bird - Plasticities
also taken down by request.
-- rising, exploding, receding, tinkering, blasting back -- a wave of pure string understanding. this man knows his string instruments like we know our own hands.

enjoy, lovelies, and absolutely PRE-ORDER this here album. the cover-art, by the way, is the back of a Budgie, or Budgerigar, often confused with parakeets, and of which i have had about three in my lifetime. can't go wrong with budgies. great pets, those little rascals. mine was named Twink.  shan  9:31 AM  |  view comments (5)