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.
Trepanation
Andrew Bird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
trying to get together
I see them scanning the room for their
supposed romantic ideal
They're looking for those with
similar markations
And a glance
they'll try to steal
But I've noticed an alarming trend
toward specialization
All these subcultures going public
with their plea
I understand people need a reason
to get together
God help us all if it turns out to be
elective surgery
[chorus:]
When she says:
I like long walks and sci-fi movies
You're six foot tall and east coast bred
Some night when we're together
I'll tie your wrists with leather
And drill a tiny hole into your head
I once knew this girl
Banana curls
I could not comprehend the
Things she said to me
Casually
I'd really be offended
Now I'm all too shocked
Like a god damned rock
And I've grown quite weary
of single's ads
like stripes and plaids
It's no fad, she really proved my theory
[chorus]
When I saw her ad, I read it twice
No heavy drugs, no body lice
In search of non-smoking
pet-loving clean-cut guy
who's nice
I think you'll do just fine
I think you'll suffice
[chorus]
We're the trepe-na-nation single's club of america!
And it won't be long until we go worldwide
If you're a clean living like-minded soul
Wanna meet nice people with cranial holes
And touch upon the truth that lies inside
Andrew Bird's song Trepanation is a commentary on the modern dating scene and the trend towards niche subcultures. Bird observes the young people in the room scanning for someone with "similar markations" and "glance they'll try to steal" in order to find their perfect romantic match. However, Bird also notes that there is an "alarming trend toward specialization" and "subcultures going public with their plea." He fears that if people's reason for getting together is elective surgery, then "God help us all."
In the chorus, the lyrics take a darker turn as Bird portrays a woman who likes "long walks and sci-fi movies" and declares that she will "drill a tiny hole into your head" when they're together. The song mocks the absurdity of personal ads and people's attempts to find love through narrow criteria. Bird's verses are a commentary on people putting on a facade to fit into a certain subculture in order to find someone to love, while the chorus satirizes how people reduce their desires and relationships to mere physical characteristics.
Line by Line Meaning
It's funny to me watching all these young people trying to get together
The singer observes young people looking for love and sees it as amusing.
I see them scanning the room for their supposed romantic ideal
The singer observes the young people looking for a specific type of person.
They're looking for those with similar markations
The young people are looking for others who have certain physical or personal traits in common with them.
And a glance they'll try to steal
The young people are making quick evaluations of potential partners based on their appearance.
But I've noticed an alarming trend toward specialization
The artist has observed a concerning shift towards people narrowing down their interests and only socializing with people who share those specific interests.
All these subcultures going public with their plea
Different subcultures are making themselves known and requesting to interact with and be recognized by others.
I understand people need a reason to get together
The singer acknowledges people's need to connect based on shared interests or experiences.
God help us all if it turns out to be elective surgery
The artist is making a joke, saying that if people have to resort to elective surgery to find common ground, it would be extreme and unnecessary.
When she says: I like long walks and sci-fi movies
The artist is quoting someone's personal ad, which mentions their interests.
You're six foot tall and east coast bred
The person being addressed has certain physical characteristics that are relevant to the artist.
Some night when we're together I'll tie your wrists with leather
The singer is describing a sexual fantasy involving domination and restraint.
And drill a tiny hole into your head
The artist is suggesting performing trepanation (a medical procedure associated with drilling into the skull) during a sexual encounter.
I once knew this girl Banana curls
The singer is reminiscing about a girl they knew who had curly hair.
I could not comprehend the Things she said to me Casually
The singer had difficulty understanding the things the girl said to them in a casual manner.
Now I'm all too shocked Like a god damned rock
The singer is now very surprised, to a degree that's hard to put into words.
And I've grown quite weary of single's ads like stripes and plaids
The artist is tired of seeing people narrowly expressing their interests in dating profiles.
It's no fad, she really proved my theory
The artist's theory about people limiting themselves in dating is supported by the girl's behavior.
When I saw her ad, I read it twice No heavy drugs, no body lice In search of non-smoking pet-loving clean-cut guy who's nice
The singer is reading a dating profile that seems particularly concerning with the lack of red flags that are included.
I think you'll do just fine I think you'll suffice
The singer thinks they may be a good match for the person being described in the profile.
We're the trepe-na-nation single's club of america! And it won't be long until we go worldwide If you're a clean living like-minded soul Wanna meet nice people with cranial holes And touch upon the truth that lies inside
The final lines are an advertisement for a fictional club that brings together clean-living people who are interested in trepanation.
Contributed by Mateo N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jim Shields
Interesting to see how much it changed from this into the song on Mysterious Production of Eggs. This one is over-the-top with an almost Rocky Horror comical quality. In Fake Palindromes, the references are much more obscure and it feels like subtle word play and indirect references to something creepy going on, like looking through the slats on the wall of a barn at a scene within illuminated by a single bare bulb swinging on its cord as if set in motion before you arrived by a sudden violent collision in the now-quiet barn. I like them both, and it is very cool to hear the earlier version.