Armchair Apocrypha | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 20, 2007 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 48:27 | |||
Label | Fat Possum | |||
Producer | Andrew Bird | |||
Andrew Bird chronology | ||||
|
Armchair Apocrypha is American singer-songwriter Andrew Bird's fourth studio album and his third post-Bowl of Fire album. The album features more electric guitars, a change from the more acoustic-oriented album Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs , though the songs are similar in character if slightly more straightforward.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 81/100 [2] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
The A.V. Club | A− [4] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [5] |
The Guardian | [6] |
Mojo | [7] |
NME | 7/10 [8] |
Pitchfork | 7.7/10 [9] |
Q | [10] |
Rolling Stone | [11] |
Spin | [12] |
The album has been given a Metacritic score of 81 out of 100 based on 31 reviews, indicating universal acclaim. [2]
The album debuted at number 76 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 11,000 copies in its first week. [13] The album has sold over 100,000 copies by November 2008. [14]
All tracks are written by Andrew Bird, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Fiery Crash" | 4:12 | |
2. | "Imitosis" | 4:01 | |
3. | "Plasticities" | 4:27 | |
4. | "Heretics" | 3:33 | |
5. | "Armchairs" | 7:02 | |
6. | "Darkmatter" | 5:07 | |
7. | "Simple X" | Bird, Martin Dosh | 3:36 |
8. | "The Supine" | 0:59 | |
9. | "Cataracts" | 3:12 | |
10. | "Scythian Empires" | 4:34 | |
11. | "Spare-Ohs" | 4:07 | |
12. | "Yawny at the Apocalypse" | 3:39 |
Chart (2007) | Peak position |
---|---|
French Albums (SNEP) [15] | 124 |
US Billboard 200 [16] | 76 |
US Digital Albums (Billboard) [17] | 9 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [18] | 5 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [19] | 21 |
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) [20] | 10 |
Whammy! is the third studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released on April 27, 1983, by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, in December 1982 and produced by Steven Stanley. The album spawned three singles: "Legal Tender", "Whammy Kiss", and "Song for a Future Generation".
Andrew Wegman Bird is an American indie rock multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Since 1996, he has released 16 studio albums, as well as several live albums and EPs, spanning various genres including swing music, indie rock, and folk music. He is primarily known for his unique style of violin playing, accompanied by loop and effect pedals, whistling, and voice. In the 1990s, he sang and played violin in several jazz ensembles, including Squirrel Nut Zippers and Kevin O'Donnell's Quality Six. He went on to start his own swing ensemble, Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, which released three albums between 1998 and 2001. Weather Systems (2003) was his first solo album after Bowl of Fire disbandment, and it marked a departure from jazz music into indie music. Bird's 2019 album My Finest Work Yet was nominated for "Best Folk Album" at the 2020 Grammy Awards.
"Diary" is a song by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys from her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003). Written by Keys and Kerry Brothers, Jr. and produced by Keys, the song features the American group Tony! Toni! Toné! on bass, piano, guitar, organ and Wurlitzer, while Jermaine Paul provides uncredited additional vocals. It was released on May 24, 2004, as the album's third single. At one time, "Diary" had been released as a double A-side with "If I Ain't Got You".
Bird on a Wire is the second full-length studio album released by Lava recording artist Toby Lightman. The album peaked at No. 30 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart on 11 August 2006.
Haley McCallum, professionally known as Haley and formerly Haley Bonar, is a Canadian-born American singer and songwriter who was raised in Rapid City, South Dakota. She has lived in Duluth and currently St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2009, she moved to Portland, Oregon, where she spent a year writing songs for her 2011 album Golder. She plays acoustic guitar, baritone electric guitar, electric guitar, and Rhodes or Wurlitzer electric piano, either solo or with her Twin Cities-based band, including Jeremy Ylvisaker, Robert Skoro, and Jacob Hanson.
Fingerlings 3 is the third in Andrew Bird’s series of live albums called Fingerlings. Unlike the previous Fingerlings, Fingerlings 3 contains songs not recorded live in front of an audience; "Dear Dirty" is a studio track and "The Water Jet Cilice" and "Ethiobirds" were recorded live (solo) at Andrew’s home studio in a barn in rural western Illinois. Tracks "Dark Matter" and “Scythian Empire" are live recordings of songs that were later included on Bird's 2007 album Armchair Apocrypha.
Martin Chavez Dosh, better known mononymously as Dosh, is a multi-instrumentalist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Snakes & Arrows is the 18th studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on May 1, 2007, by Anthem Records. After their R30: 30th Anniversary Tour ended in October 2004 the band took a one-year break, during which they agreed to start work on a follow-up in January 2006. The album was recorded in five weeks with co-producer Nick Raskulinecz, a fan of the group who was praised by each member for his approach and technique. It contains three instrumental tracks, the most on any Rush album.
Thrills is an album created by Andrew Bird. It was released on April 7, 1998, on the Rykodisc label. It is the first Andrew Bird album released with Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire.
Martina is the seventh studio album by American country music artist Martina McBride. It was released in September 2003 by RCA Nashville. It was a number one on the country album charts and number seven on the US album charts. The album produced four singles on the country charts: "This One's for the Girls" at #3, "In My Daughter's Eyes" at #4, "How Far" at #12 and "God's Will" at #16. "This One's for the Girls", which featured backing vocals from Faith Hill, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and McBride's two daughters, was also McBride's first and only Number One hit on the Adult Contemporary charts. The album was certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Let's Be Us Again is the fifth studio album by American country music group Lonestar. It was released in 2004 on BNA Records, and has been certified gold by the RIAA in the United States. The album produced three singles for the group on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts: the title track, "Mr. Mom", and "Class Reunion ". Additionally, "Somebody's Someone" charted at number 53 from unsolicited airplay.
Revelations is the third solo studio album by American country music artist Wynonna, released in 1996 on MCA Records in association with Curb Records. It was her first album since Tell Me Why three years previous. The album's lead-off single, "To Be Loved by You", was her fourth and most recent to date #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The second single, "Heaven Help My Heart", peaked at #14 on the same chart, while "My Angel Is Here" and "Somebody to Love You" both missed the top 40, becoming the first two singles of her career to do so. The album itself peaked at #2 on the Top Country Albums charts and #9 on The Billboard 200, and was certified platinum by the RIAA.
Noble Beast is American singer-songwriter Andrew Bird's fifth solo studio album, released on January 20, 2009. Two songs from this album were previewed on his webpage, "Oh No" and "Carrion Suite", while the entire album was made available by NPR as a streaming feed. Noble Beast was made available as a standard CD release, a special limited-edition deluxe two-CD package and a double-LP package.
Break It Yourself is American singer-songwriter Andrew Bird's sixth solo studio album, released on March 5, 2012 through Mom+Pop records in the US and Bella Union in the UK. The track "Lusitania" features a duet with Annie Clark from St. Vincent.
Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of... is American singer-songwriter Andrew Bird's eighth solo studio album. It was released on June 3, 2014 through Wegawam Music Co.
Are You Serious is the tenth solo studio album by Andrew Bird, released on April 1, 2016. The album features collaborations with Fiona Apple and Blake Mills.
Lee Brice is the fourth studio album by American country music singer Lee Brice. It was released on November 3, 2017 via Curb Records. The album's lead single is "Boy".
What You See Is What You Get is the second studio album by American country music artist Luke Combs. It was released on November 8, 2019 through River House Artists and Columbia Nashville. It includes all five songs previously featured on the 2019 EP The Prequel, including the singles "Beer Never Broke My Heart" and "Even Though I'm Leaving" in addition to the track "1, 2 Many", the single "Does to Me", and later the promotional single "Six Feet Apart". Combs toured North America throughout the remainder of 2019 and was to headline the C2C: Country to Country festival in Europe in 2020 in promotion of the album, however the festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven singles from the album, "Beer Never Broke My Heart", "Even Though I'm Leaving", "Does to Me", "Lovin' on You", "Better Together", "Forever After All" and "Cold as You", reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
"Treacherous" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fourth studio album, Red (2012). Written by Swift and Dan Wilson, who also produced the track, "Treacherous" is a slow-burning ballad that builds up into a finale. Its lyrics are about a narrator's attempt to protect a fragile and dangerous relationship. A demo of the song was included in the track-list of Red's deluxe edition.
"Now You're in Heaven" is a song written by Julian Lennon and John McCurry, recorded by Lennon and released as the lead single from his third studio album, Mr. Jordan (1989), on which the song appears as the opening track. A David Bowie-inspired song, it was the highest-charting single released from the album, topping the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and reaching No. 5 in Australia. It was certified gold in the latter country by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of over 35,000 units.