His early work, which echoed gypsy jazz and traditional folk, has led into his current sound, which mixes rock with more broad compositions. His years of solo song-craft have now enabled him to produce a sound that is uniquely his own.
Trained by the Suzuki method from a young age and a graduate of Illinois' Northwestern University, Bird released his first solo album, Music of Hair, in 1996. Vastly different from his later releases, this first album showcases his violin skills and pays tribute to his fascination with both American and European folk traditions, as well as jazz and blues.
His initial commercial exposure was in collaborative work with the band Squirrel Nut Zippers. He was quickly lumped in with the swing craze that swept the United States music industry in the mid '90s; this is an affiliation that he is still working to shed.
Taking on the role of band leader in 1997 with Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, he released the album Thrills. This was followed by Oh! The Grandeur in 1998. Both albums were heavily influenced by traditional folk, pre-war jazz and swing, with Bird relying on the violin as his primary musical instrument.
In 2001, Bird released The Swimming Hour, his third release with the Bowl of Fire and a dramatic departure from previous recordings. The Swimming Hour featured a mixture of styles, from the zydeco-influenced "Core and Rind" to more straightforward rock songs. He has often referred to this record as his "jukebox album".
The Bowl of Fire unofficially disbanded some time in 2003, having featured many skilled Chicago musicians including Kevin O'Donnell, Nora O'Connor, Andy Hopkins (aka Mr. Rudy Day), Jimmy Sutton, Colin Bunn and Ryan Hembrey.
Bird then released two subsequent solo albums, both distributed through the label operated by Ani DiFranco, Righteous Babe Records. The two records, 2003's Weather Systems and 2005's The Mysterious Production of Eggs, continue a progression towards an eclectic indie folk sound that has proven challenging to classify.
Bird's live solo shows have been notable in that he uses a multi-track system to sample and loop his own performance. For example, he may record a snippet of his performance on violin, then play a "loop" of that sound. This provides a more full-bodied sound and aurally suggests a band performance, rather than the sound of a solo artist.
Bird's next full-length album Armchair Apocrypha (Fat Possum) was released on March 20th 2007.
November 2007 saw the Soldier On EP originally a European tour-only release. But due to high demand and unanticipated critical acclaim was released digitally and in CD-format on both sides of the Atlantic. Critics and fans alike have hearkened to the EP's first track, "The Trees Were Mistaken", a complex yet austere looping composition that marks a departure from Bird's earlier body of work. It also contains a cover of Bob Dylan's "Oh Sister".
January 2009 saw Noble Beast, also available with instrumental album Useless Creatures, released worldwide to positive reviews.
The Fatal Shore Songfacts reports that Break it Yourself, Bird's sixth solo studio album, was released on March 6, 2012 through Mom+Pop records in the US and Bella Union in the UK. The origins of the LP lie in a couple of jam sessions by a gathering of Bird's friends in the singer's western Illinois barn, near the banks of the Mississippi River.
Of his 2019 album My Finest Work Yet, Talia Schlanger of NPR says "Bird zooms way out on humanity across history's timeline, seeking insight about our current age, in a way he hopes 'stays above the news feed noise.'" Many tracks, including the opener "Sisyphus," include Andrew's trademark whistling.
Dark Matter
Andrew Bird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I threw away all of my action toys
While I became obsessed with Operation
With hearts and minds and certain glands
You gotta learn to keep a steady hand
And thus began my morbid fascination
Made myself a gun that not only shoots but looks so real
Yeah, it shoots through steel with rays of darkmatter
Rays of darkmatter
Do you wonder where the self resides?
Is it in your head or between your sides?
And who'll would be the one who will decide its true location?
And does the thought about this red and black
Thought of tongues that taste you back
Fill you with the nausea-ausea, also ovulation?
Noose is loosed around our necks made of DNA
And every day it's growing tighter, no matter what they do or say
And you can shoot right through with rays of darkmatter
Just before they kick out, they kick out the ladder
With rays of darkmatter, rays of darkmatter
Like something catching fire
Do you wonder where the self resides?
Is it in your head or between your sides?
And who would be the one who will decide its true location?
The lyrics of "Dark Matter" by Andrew Bird reflect the theme of identity crisis and self-discovery. The first verse talks about a little boy who rejects his action toys and becomes obsessed with Operation, a game that involves precise hand movements. This obsession with Operation could be interpreted as a metaphor for the pursuit of perfection or control in life.
The second verse delves deeper into the concept of the self and where it resides. The lyrics pose a rhetorical question on whether the self is located in the mind or physical body. The mention of "red and black" and "tongues that taste you back" hints at the complexities and mysteries of the human body and the emotions that reside within it. The use of words like "nausea" and "ovulation" suggests the discomfort and confusion that come with exploring the self.
The chorus ties in the theme of self-discovery with the scientific concept of dark matter. The idea that a gun made out of dark matter shoots through steel suggests the power and potential of unlocking one's true identity. The line "just before they kick out the ladder" could be interpreted as a call to action before it's too late, before society or others limit one's journey of self-discovery.
Overall, "Dark Matter" is an introspective song that encourages the listener to reflect on the complexities of self and the potential for growth and discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was just a little boy
Andrew Bird reminisces about his childhood.
I threw away all of my action toys
He stopped playing with action toys at an early age.
While I became obsessed with Operation
He became engrossed with the game Operation.
With hearts and minds and certain glands
Refers to the complexity of human beings.
You gotta learn to keep a steady hand
Andrew implies that we must have stability in life.
And thus began my morbid fascination
This fascination started at a young age and probably with the Operation game.
Tore the spines from out of all of these self-help books
He destroyed most self-help books, probably because he felt they were useless.
Made myself a gun that not only shoots but looks so real
He created a gun that looks too real and could easily be mistaken for a for a real one.
Yeah, it shoots through steel with rays of darkmatter
The gun he made was powerful and had more range than a typical gun because it could shoot through steel.
Do you wonder where the self resides?
This is a philosophical question that Andrew asks his audience.
Is it in your head or between your sides?
This line means to ask where we locate our true self.
And who'll would be the one who will decide its true location?
He implies that we may never know where our true self resides.
And does the thought about this red and black
This line represents the duality aspect of our thoughts.
Thought of tongues that taste you back
Andrew probably refers to the metaphor of biting one's own tongue so hard that it starts tasting blood.
Fill you with the nausea-ausea, also ovulation?
This line suggests that the emotions that surround the thought process of our true selves are intense.
Noose is loosed around our necks made of DNA
Again, Andrew is speaking about the complicated nature of human beings and how we are born into predestined DNA.
And every day it's growing tighter, no matter what they do or say
Our natural predestination may affect our lives more and more each day.
And you can shoot right through with rays of darkmatter
We have the power to do anything, represented by the metaphorical use of the gun created from dark matter.
Just before they kick out, they kick out the ladder
This line implies that there is a limit to what we can do and achieve.
With rays of darkmatter, rays of darkmatter
The gun is our tool to work against natural predestination.
Like something catching fire
This line represents our brief moment to try to control our own lives before our natural predestination or DNA takes over.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nickee Sonicjinn
Lyrics to Dark Matter
When I was just a little boy
I threw away all of my action toys
While I became obsessed with Operation
With hearts and minds and certain glands
You gotta learn to keep a steady hand
And thus began my morbid fascination
Tore the spines from out of all of these self-help books
Made myself a gun that not only shoots but looks so real
Yeah, it shoots through steel with rays of dark matter
Rays of dark matter
Do you wonder where the self resides?
Is it in your head or between your sides?
And who would be the one who will decide its true location?
And does the thought about this red and black
Thought of tongues that taste you back
Fill you with the nausea-ausea, also ovulation?
Noose is loosed around our necks made of DNA
And every day it's growing tighter, no matter what they do or say
And you can shoot right through with rays of dark matter
Just before they kick out, they kick out the ladder
With rays of dark matter, rays of dark matter
Like something catching fire
Do you wonder where the self resides?
Is it in your head or between your sides?
And who would be the one who will decide its true location?
This entire album is filled with pure gems.
I am really happy Andrew Bird's music has been finally recognized in South Korea
with a Samsung ad. It's sort of bitter that he was not known widely before the ad but still,
it makes me truly happy he has finally earned so many eager new fans here.
I've been pretty lonely as a huge fan of Andrew Bird's music for over a decade.
https://youtu.be/jKCsv6vgtBM : Grande ad.
slarz1108
This is such awesome music. Such a great combination of sounds. I don't know... So uplifting but also kinda sad, but it just makes me want to smile and dance, happy that I get to live my life. I can't seem to find any songs from him that are remotely like this!
Bart Möller
Well said!
ExponentialAardvark
He just oozes pure talent. Effortless. It's incredible.
roysters5
this is so incredible! i can't believe I heard of him sooner!
Tess Teas
Genius. 'Nuff said. <3
10BelowFreezing
im glad my friend introduce me to this guy. He is a GREAT singer
Manon Hale
this song is as old as time itself. I love It. so much.
Ayman Haroun
seriously... "do you wonder where the self resides? is it in your head or between your sides and who will be the one who will decide it's true locatioooooooon?" the best.
Overcast Radio
Love it
Gabriella Cerince
friggin LOVE this song...been hittin the replay button like a tweaker