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.
Dear Dirty
Andrew Bird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I live in a cave, using my blood to draw,blood to draw
And I live in a cave, {n/a}
Something I come up to, something I come up to
Something I come up to, using my blood to draw
the blood to draw animal,like the bull
Dear Dirty,
Then I go to find more things,
I can use to make the tools to kill
all these animals, or all these things
Dear Dirty
The opening lines of "Dear Dirty" by Andrew Bird presents an enigmatic image of a man living in a cave and using his own blood to create artwork on subjects like animals. The imagery here is heavily imbued with symbolism and meaning, as the blood draws a connection between the primal and the creative, the violent and the beautiful. The man's identity remains uncertain, but his strength and his unusual way of life make him a figure that is both fascinating and unsettling. The repetition of the line "something I come up to" creates an introspective and slightly melancholic tone, as if the man is searching for something that he can never truly find.
As the song progresses, the man's focus shifts to hunting and killing animals, and he declares his desire to find "more things" to use as tools to hunt with. This shift underscores the duality of human nature as both creative and destructive, as the man uses his creative talents to kill and consume other creatures. The use of the term "Dear Dirty" adds another layer of mystery to the song, as it is unclear who the singer is addressing and what relationship they have to the man in the cave.
Overall, "Dear Dirty" is a haunting and thought-provoking song that uses vivid and ambiguous imagery to explore themes of creativity, violence, and the complexities of human nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear Dirty, I'm a man strong and {n/a}
Introducing himself to someone named 'Dear Dirty', the singer, a confident man, boasts about his strength and leaves the next words unsaid (n/a).
And I live in a cave, using my blood to draw,blood to draw
The singer lives in a cave where he draws using his own blood as ink.
And I live in a cave, {n/a}
Repeating the previous line, the singer emphasizes his cave-dwelling without further elaboration (n/a).
Something I come up to, something I come up to
The artist frequently encounters unknown things, repeating the phrase for emphasis.
Something I come up to, using my blood to draw
When he encounters something new, the artist instinctively uses his blood to create art.
the blood to draw animal,like the bull
The singer uses his blood to draw animal figures, specifically likening one to a bull.
Dear Dirty, Then I go to find more things,
Addressing 'Dear Dirty' again, the singer explains that he goes out to find new things to draw or use for hunting.
Go for walks to find things I,
In order to find new things, the artist goes for walks (presumably outside of his cave).
I can use to make the tools to kill
The purpose of finding new things is to use them to make weapons for hunting.
all these animals, or all these things
The artist is not specific about what he hunts, using the umbrella terms 'animals' and 'things'.
Dear Dirty
Concluding the song, the singer once again addresses 'Dear Dirty'.
Contributed by Ethan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.