Andrew Bird certainly has an appropriate name. It is a strange bird in every way, and not only because it has managed to restore the noble craft of artificial flutes. Hardly any line can be discerned in his oeuvre, except that he invariably taps from multiple musical tunes, such as indie pop, jazz, classical and folk. His new album Noble Creatures is a revenge on predecessor Armchair Apocrypha from
… 2007, on which he was looking too emphatically in connection with current pop music. Noble Beast is another album that the go-getter can sink his teeth into. Catchy pop songs are alternated with vague compositions, the arrangements seem to have been put together along the way. Nevertheless, an intriguing record has emerged, not least due to the collaboration of producer Mark Nevers and guest musician Loney, Dear. (MS)more
