Search - Andrew Bird :: Noble Beast / Useless Creatures (Deluxe Edition)

Reflexively brilliant!

Twiga | Berkeley or Boston | 01/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As with Bird's previous albums, including Armchair Apocrypha and the Mysterious Production of Eggs, the lyrics and melodies of Noble Beast's tracks are intelligent, magical and playful. Double and triple entendres continue to unfold, even in connection with words that aren't real but somehow make sense anyway. The vocals are dreamlike and strings sublime. I LOVE this stuff. Bird's music is brilliant while still being impossibly catchy and fun.



Anonanimal may be my new favorite, with cool segues that hit the spot perfectly and had me involuntarily dancing around the house ....



I rarely purchase extra/bonus tracks, but couldn't resist the ones made available by Andrew Bird here. Useless Creatures is populated by instrumental works that again reveal Bird's raw genius - and it rocks! Carrion Suite is reminiscent of symphonic ballads like Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf, but without the narration and more exotic, sexy and modern. Nyatiti is so alive and contagious.



The only trouble is that the music of *other* artists - with the possible exception of a few folks like Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Jeff Tweedy -- seems so flat/two-dimensional compared to the countless dimensions in which Bird's music thrives.



This album is worth every penny, and then some. So lucky to have this as part of the soundtrack of life."

Beautiful Album

Candace McKinley | 02/18/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I previously purchased Noble Beast on itunes and immediately fell in love with the album. I can't stop listening to it. "Anonanimal," "Not a Robot, But a Ghost," and "Masterswarm" are my favorite tracks, although "Anonanimal" is the song most often stuck in my head. I decided to buy the deluxe set after learning about the instrumental album Useless Creatures. I received my set yesterday and immediately opened up the package to play it. The only downside is that the packaging, although beautiful, makes it difficult to get the cds out without ripping the package a bit. The set comes with liner notes that feature whimsical artwork and Bird's complex lyrics are arranged in such a way that it is almost like having a little booklet of poetry. Useless Creatures on its own is worth the price of the set. The music is absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing."

Another case of missing second disc

Philip Zimmermann | Rhinebeck, NY United States | 02/15/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had hoped that they had cleared up the problem of the missing second disc, but obviously not. I just got my copy yesterday and again, no second disk. What gives?! the one CD that got here is great, just wish I had the other. What a hassle."