Countdown to Andrew Bird: Two Days

Dear Andrew Bird fans,

I’ve recently learned there is a possibility that Annie Clark (“St. Vincent”) will “join” Mr. Bird on stage at his upcoming show in Asheville, North Carolina. I have not been able to confirm this, but nothing directly disproves it either. It is my express desire that the only person to “join” Mr. Bird in any fashion be, well…ME. But that’s obvious by now, isn’t it?

I did some research on Ms. Clark and see that, like me, she grew up in a state that starts with the letter O. Also like me, she has pale skin, good hips, and curly brown hair. She’s a bit on the young side, however, so if it is her “origins” and her “look” that Mr. Bird likes, perhaps I can provide something similar but then offer four more years “life experience” above and beyond Ms. Clark’s. Additionally, she’s named herself after a saint, which is rather prudish if you ask me.

All of that being said…

1. Consider the 20-second instrumental track “Ouo” on Noble Beast. It’s the only instrumental on this album and it comes after his most aggressive, technological song on the album, “Not a Robot, But a Ghost.” Was the placement of this Mr. Bird’s way of acknowledging the distinctly different sound-experience this song creates for his listeners? Or does it serve more as a preamble to the song that comes next, “Nomenclature”…a song that declares “our nomenclature is washing away”? Nomenclature is the devising and choosing of names for things, an act Mr. Bird engages in ferociously. And finally, what is an “ouo,” anyway? (Not to be confused with an “ou,” which is a fruit-eating Hawaiian honeycreeper with a stout bill.) Cheers to anyone who knows, unless of course Mr. Bird has made up yet another word.

2. The track title “Masterswarm” reminds me of “Masterfade” (from The Mysterious Production of Eggs, 2007 release) not just in title but in the way Mr. Bird uses the violin to add to the narrative in places where his words leave off. As a writer, I find this juncture really interesting. In the violin in “Masterswarm” you can hear the swarming and the fluttering and flying – the writhing larva, for instance. Also, the high-pitched violin resonance over the top of the Kafka-esque scene implies an out of body experience, which Mr. Bird’s lyrics imply but don’t directly state. In “Masterfade,” the opening violin half-chords and plucks are like the small pads of children’s feet walking barefoot across a kitchen floor. Children, in fact, make up the entire narrative of this piece (which I believe is an ode to the loss of innocence and a preamble to adolescence) although Mr. Bird never mentions ages or children directly.

Looking even closer at these works, perhaps we have the evolution of Mr. Bird from child to teen. In fact…”Masterfade” and “Darkmatter” capture the early years. The teen years we hear demonstrated in songs such as “Measuring Cups” and “Imitosis.” Which makes me think “Masterswarm” is the next chronological addition to the memoir-in-progress.

3. I would like to appreciate the proper use of a comma in the song titled “Not a Robot, But a Ghost.”

That ought to do it for now…Meantime, I have begun a 48 hour fast (no Andrew Bird music AT ALL) until the live gig begins Friday night!

Cheers ‘n’ Chirps,
Katey