Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of...

I'm still on the fence about the CD while it is him and it has his stamp it's not his "voice" it's not his lyrics which leaves me longing.

I have decidedly mixed emotions regarding this album. I really like, and almost love, about half of this album and had to throw away the other half. On the one hand, there's tracks on here that have really great and deep lyrics with a nice and chill vibe. When Bird is at his best on this album, he reminds me of some of my favorite artists. You definitely get that alt. country feel like Jeff Tweedy's solo stuff on some of the songs. I also love the backing vocals by whoever that girl is on a lot of the songs. On the other hand, Bird has a tendency to get this Roy Orbison sound in his voice when he sings. Though I love Folk music, Roy Orbison as a folk artist is not my cup of tea. Those songs are universally throwaways. Especially painful was Cathedral. I couldn't even make it through that song. The difference between the two kinds of songs is night and day. You can tell in the first couple seconds after Bird sings if the song is a keeper. Lastly, though I know this is not due to Bird, the song titles are really weird despite the great lyrics. The stats are, as i said, either pretty solid or throwaways. There's two 4 star songs, four 3 star songs and the rest are thowaways.

Poetic, ethereal, and majestic.

To those who are comparing this to other Bird albums, please just stop. I have found this man’s talent to effectively cut across all lines, rendering the genre itself less important than the actual music. Admittedly, I have had the experience—after buying Break It Yourself, my first Bird album—of being disappointed by Bird albums I bought thereafter. But what happens? I keep them on in the background, and one day, suddenly BAM! I’m in love again. This album is haunting and pretty melancholy. It’s beautiful. Bird’s voice soars, earnest and wistful. I gave it a chance, and I’m glad I did. There’s so much more of Bird to enjoy, it turns out, than only the one or two albums I initially tied myself to.

I am absolutely in love with and addicted to AB's Mysterious Production of Eggs, Armchair Apocrypha, and other albums released around that time. But now I am genuinely saddened that his music has taken a country/folk turn. I so, so wish he would maintain the strange, etheral, beautiful style he used in his previous albums.

This is another one of those indie alt-pop albums with beautiful strings that Andrew Bird excels in. Andrew Bird's voice is one of the most recognizable ones. I love this somewhat dark album. It's great!

Sure reminds me of Ricky Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band days. There’s a touch (not harmony so much) but of an Everly Bros album called Songs My Father Taught Us…i mean these comparisons in a good way. Both oldtime-like and yet contemporary.

I really love Andrew Bird and Handsome Family is definately some of the best song writing done today. The combination of the two is breathtaking. I am so happy with this album.

I loved the sweet edge he was on. This new direction leaves a lot behind…nothing mysterious, nothing compelling.

Andrew Bird is brilliant because he never gives us what we want, he gives his audience a new sound to slowly think about and take in; until we love it completely. Every album I start out thinking “What is this?” but I always end up falling in love with it. So happy for this surprise!