Noble Beast by Andrew Bird

First and foremost, I would like to thank that one girl who lives upstairs for sharing with me a pre-release copy of Andrew Bird's new album. And then, I'd like to tell you a story.

I like Andrew Bird. Like, a lot. And when I listen to Andrew Bird, the music is not just entering my ears and making me feel things. This is what music is supposed to do to us, and it's totally acceptable. But Andrew Bird can accomplish much more than that within my person. He somehow finds a way to penetrate my skin and get into my blood stream and toy with my body temperature and make my entire being boil over and then freeze up. He fucks with my entire reality. He makes write like a cheesy fucking asshole. He makes me want to vomit, cry and laugh all at once. These are all wonderful feelings, believe it or not. Feeling the urge to vomit is how I know I'm not that depressed. So, when I received this gift, I naturally had high expectations.

Upon first listen, maybe it was circumstances, I don't remember my mental or emotional state at the time, but I was a bit disappointed. Maybe disappointed is the wrong word, maybe it's just that I didn't feel SUPER PASSIONATE about it. I was like "Yeah, okay, Andrew Bird. That was nice, but I'd still rather be listening to 'Fake Palindromes.'" I mean if you're gonna do it, do it better. Right? Well, Andrew Bird responded to my reflections by offering me a second listen. He made some valid points. He had me curious, to say the least. "Ok, Andrew. I'll be back for more later." And later, I was back. This time he started making some real effort to argue his case. He was doing a really good job! I was no match, and I'd say I bring a good debate, usually. But not this time around. I had no choice but to surrender to Andrew Bird. I tried to resist, but eventually there was nothing left to do but lie on the floor and vomit and bleed out of all of my orifices. That's right, guys. Andrew Bird made me vomit and bleed! (Okay, metaphorically. Whatever.) It was a violent outpour of cheesy, sappy, uninhibited emotion. It was almost gross. 

Two tracks that shine amongst the rest are "Anonanimal" and "the Privateers."

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