Andrew Bird - Soldier On
While not a part of the Fingerlings series that Bird has released in order to showcase his live talents and satiate his fans’ desire for more material, His Birdness has released another collection of live, unreleased, and works-in-progress EP entitled Soldier On. Some of these tracks I was able to hear when Bird came to Northwestern last May (”Sectionate Cities”) while others are completely new to me (”The Trees Were Mistaken”). The EP points toward a more extroverted Bird, as the listener finds him playing intricate melodies with his trademark loops.
Overall, it just impresses me the way that Bird has no preoccupations with releasing rough drafts of his music. But what impresses me even more is that he will go back and refine these songs for an album–he’s not afraid to reveal his imperfections. He illustrates to the listener (or at least to me) that the artistic process is a humbling one. And despite all the success he has had over the past few years, he has no qualms in acknowledging that he still has work to do, a mission to fulfill.
Pitchfork has a review here on Soldier On.
Listen to “Sic of Elephants” (4.8/5)
Listen to “How You Gonna Keep ‘Em Down On the Farm” (4.7/5)
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