Andrew Bird has announced his 12th (!) full-length album, and he’s pretty confident it’s his best effort to date. Entitled My Finest Work Yet, the 10-track LP is due out March 22nd via Loma Vista.
Produced by Paul Butler at Los Angeles’ Barefoot Recordings, My Finest Work Yet was recorded live to tape. However, none of the musicians wore headphones and there was no separation between the players, allowing the instruments to intentionally bleed into the different microphones. The way the sounds blend together is a sonic representation of the themes Bird explores in the lyrics, as he tackles “current day dichotomies and how to identify a moral compass amidst such divisive times.”
As the whistling multi-instrumentalist explained in a press release,
“I’m interested in the idea that our enemies are what make us whole — there’s an intimacy one shares with their opponent when locked in such a struggle. If we were to just walk away would our enemies miss us? How did we get to this point and how can we, through awareness of it, maybe pull ourselves out of this death spiral.”
As a first listen, Bird has shared “Sisyphus”, a track described as “about being addicted to your own suffering and the moral consequences of letting the rock roll.” The indie tune swings around Bird’s ambling vocals and a strolling piano line. Take a listen below. Update – February 6th: Bird has shared a video for the track, directed by Matthew Daniel Siskin.
“Sisyphus” follows November’s “Bloodless”. Both songs can be found on the complete tracklist ahead, underneath the album artwork.
My Finest Work Yet Artwork:
My Finest Work Yet Tracklist:
01. Sisyphus
02. Bloodless
03. Olympians
04. Cracking Codes
05. Fallorun
06. Archipelago
07. Proxy War
08. Manifest
09. Don the Struggle
10. Bellevue Bridge Club
Bird has also announced a series of album release shows taking place in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.
Andrew Bird 2019 Tour Dates:
03/07 – Los Angeles, CA @ Largo
03/08 – Los Angeles, CA @ Largo
03/21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Largo
04/02 – Chicago, IL @ Green Mill
04/03 – Chicago, IL @ Green Mill
04/08 – New York, NY @ National Sawdust
04/09 – New York, NY @ National Sawdust
