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.
Desperation Breeds…
Andrew Bird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In this litigious breeze
Of accidental pollination
In this era without bees
We keep breeding desperation
In this era of thieves
Who keep stealing respiration
This peculiar incantation
Sure you heard it before
Instead of breeding desperation
Make me a pallet on your floor
In Andrew Bird's song "Desperation Breeds...", he delivers a strong message about the need for society to recognize the importance of the environment and the devastating effects of human activity on it. The opening lines "Beekeeper sing of your frustration in this litigious breeze" sets the tone for what is to come. The song highlights the issue of accidental pollination, a phenomenon where non-native species of plants spread aggressively, forming monocultures that can ultimately destroy the habitats of native species. Andrew Bird brings attention to a related issue - the decline in bee populations in recent years, which has been linked to the use of pesticides and other factors such as global warming.
The lyric "We keep breeding desperation in this era of thieves who keep stealing respiration from the tenderest of trees" highlights the impact of human activity on the environment. The use of the word "thieves" in this line emphasizes the severity of the impact and sends a strong message about the need for change. The reference to the "tenderest of trees" emphasizes that every living thing, no matter how small or insignificant, is important to the balance of the ecosystem.
In the final lines of the song, Andrew Bird changes the focus to a more hopeful note. He says, "Instead of breeding desperation, make me a pallet on your floor." In doing so, he suggests that there is a way for humans to not only recognize the importance of the environment but also take action to preserve it. By living more simply and in harmony with nature, he suggests that we can promote positive change.
Line by Line Meaning
Beekeeper sing of your frustration
Addressing the beekeeper to express their frustration
In this litigious breeze
In this era of lawsuits and legal actions
Of accidental pollination
Referring to unintentional pollination, an environmental concern
In this era without bees
The current time period where the bee population is in decline
We keep breeding desperation
We continue to cultivate a sense of hopelessness
In this era of thieves
In a time where people take what they want regardless of the consequences
Who keep stealing respiration
Those who are taking the breath of life
From the tenderest of trees
Sapping the most vulnerable plant life
This peculiar incantation
This strange spell, phrase or chant
Sure you heard it before
You may be familiar with it already
Instead of breeding desperation
In place of instilling despair
Make me a pallet on your floor
Build a bed for me to sleep on your floor
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Andrew Wegman Bird
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dhuitzil101
Beekeeper sing of your frustration
In this litigious breeze
Of accidental pollination
In this era without bees
We keep breeding desperation
In this era of thieves
Who keep stealing respiration
From the tenderest of trees
This peculiar incantation
Sure you heard it before
Instead of breeding desperation
Make me a pallet on your floor
@UnidetifiedCause
A few moments after the world is destroyed by our ever capable hands, when every man and evil has eventually moved on, with most traces of our existence and vain achievements wiped out, the world becomes still again. Just as the dust settles, penetrating the eerie voidness is "Andrew Birds desperation breeds" (all mother nature would have as companion) emanating from a 1927 radio transmitter lying on a dusty rubble. Only then shall the world know peace...
@benjaminjackson8663
wat
@lauren63085
this man is brilliant. i recommend his album "armchairs" and the "mytserious production of eggs". perfect summer driving music for just relaxing and letting loose in nature. he's a true musical talent and genius. can't wait to buy this album. he lives on a farm outside chigaco to be close to nature- it inspires his music. he has said that he chooses lyrics more because of how a word sounds than worrying that the words make sense together on paper.
@dustyandsneezing
Those violins... amazing.
@Mayakanai65
I am a new fan. I saw him live at Jazz Fest and immediately fell in love. This song stuck out to me the most. He's excellent! :) Very underrated
@gosk8n
One of the greatest opening tracks ever! Im stuck on this one
@ludwemlenzana8362
I love how he plays the violin in the same way a bee buzzes towards the end on the song. Brilliant
@nwttp
Pretty sure that's the theremin.
@KnewTherapy
Quite possibly the most beautiful song ever
@michaelwilkinson7638
Heard "Desperation Breeds" today on Radio Paradise and I was instantly better than whatever I was before hearing it.... beautiful music.