Birds of My Neighborhood

Last updated
Birds of My Neighborhood
TheInnocenceMission - Birds of my Neighbourhood.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 10, 1999
Recorded1997–1999
Genre Alternative, folk
Length37:17
Label Kneeling Elephant/RCA
Badman
Producer The Innocence Mission
The Innocence Mission chronology
Glow
(1995)
Birds of My Neighborhood
(1999)
Christ Is My Hope
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Pitchfork (7.7/10) [2]

Birds of My Neighborhood is the fourth studio album by the Innocence Mission. Released in 1999 on Kneeling Elephant, a sub-label of RCA, the album was out of print until Badman Recording acquired the license to remaster and reissue it in 2006.

Contents

This was the group's first album as a trio following the departure of founding member Steve Brown in 1997. With the exception of his sole contribution to the album—drums and brushes on "Snow"—the album is largely bereft of drums. Don Peris played percussion on "Birdless" and the closing moments of "Green Grass, Red Tree," but otherwise the group adapted to its trio status by replacing Mike Bitt's electric bass with an upright bass and taking a more acoustic sound.

Their cover of "Follow Me" was recorded in late 1997 for Take Me Home, a John Denver tribute album which had an estimated release date of 1998. With the delay of that album's release, however, Don Peris asked that record's curator, Mark Kozelek of the Red House Painters, for permission to include the song on Birds of My Neighborhood. Kozelek agreed on the condition that the song still be included on the tribute album when a general release was finally given in April 2000. [3]

Sufjan Stevens recorded a cover version of "The Lakes of Canada" in 2007. [4] [5]

On February 5, 2021, a vinyl reissue was released, which came with an updated album cover. [6]

Track listing

All tracks written by Karen Peris, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Where Does the Time Go?"3:32
2."Snow"3:47
3."Follow Me" (John Denver)3:19
4."The Lakes of Canada"4:35
5."You Are the Light"2:56
6."Birdless"3:34
7."I Haven't Seen This Day Before"2:09
8."She May Turn Around"2:17
9."I Was in the Air" (Don Peris)2:38
10."July"3:22
11."Going Away" (Karen Peris, Don Peris)3:06
12."Green Grass, Red Tree" (Don Peris)2:20
Total length:37:17

Personnel

Album credits

Related Research Articles

<i>A Sun Came</i> 1999 studio album by Sufjan Stevens

A Sun Came! is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens, released in 1999 on Asthmatic Kitty. It was reissued four years later. Among Stevens' back catalog, A Sun Came is notable for being recorded on four-track.

The Innocence Mission American band

The Innocence Mission is an American indie folk band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States, composed of Karen Peris, her husband Don Peris, and Mike Bitts. Although all members of the band have contributed to their music, Karen Peris is their main writer.

<i>Evangeline</i> (Emmylou Harris album) 1981 studio album by Emmylou Harris

Evangeline is a 1981 album by Emmylou Harris that was composed mostly of leftover material from past recording sessions and which did not fit into any of her other albums. Songs included a remake of "Mister Sandman", "Evangeline", which she had previously performed with The Band, Rodney Crowell's "Ashes By Now", and a cover of John Fogerty's "Bad Moon Rising". Though it received mixed reviews upon its release, the album was yet another commercial success for Harris. It was certified Gold in less than a year after its release. A single release of "Mister Sandman" did well on the charts, though neither Ronstadt's nor Parton's record companies would allow their artists' vocals to be used on the single, so Harris rerecorded the song, singing all three parts for the single release. Rodney Crowell's "I Don't Have to Crawl" was released as the album's second single.

<i>Barry Manilow II</i> 1974 studio album by Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow II is the second studio album by Barry Manilow released in 1974. It included the mega hit song "Mandy", as well as "It's a Miracle"; the cut "Sandra" was later recorded by Dusty Springfield. First issued by Bell Records, it was reissued after the company was reorganized into Arista Records.

<i>Glow</i> (The Innocence Mission album) 1995 studio album by The Innocence Mission

Glow is the third album by the American folk rock band the Innocence Mission, released in 1995 on A&M Records. Musically, it marks a radical departure for the group, as the Sundays/10,000 Maniacs-inspired dream pop aesthetic found on their first two albums was replaced by a more straightforward, cleaner rock sound. The album was recorded over a several-month period at Kingsway Studios, New Orleans, Louisiana and Bad Animals Studios, Seattle, Washington.

<i>Small Planes</i> 2001 studio album by The Innocence Mission

Small Planes, subtitled Lost and Found Songs: 1996–2001, is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band The Innocence Mission, released on September 25, 2001 by What Are Records?. It consists of new and previously unreleased songs recorded by the band following the release of their 1995 album Glow. The album was released to positive reviews, with several publications describing it as an "outtake" album that contains better material than the primary work of most other bands. Small Planes was issued on vinyl for the first time on November 3, 2021. The vinyl featured an alternate track listing and the song "A Thousand Miles", which had been excluded from the original release.

<i>Now the Day Is Over</i> 2004 studio album by The Innocence Mission

Now the Day Is Over is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band The Innocence Mission, released by Badman Recording Co. on November 9, 2004. A collection of standards, traditional and classical works performed as lullabies, the album was recorded in August 2004 in the band's home studio. A portion of proceeds from sales of the album are donated to charitable organisations, including Catholic Relief Services.

<i>Newborn</i> (album) 1975 studio album by James Gang

Newborn is the eighth studio album by James Gang, released in 1975, and the only released on Atlantic Records.

<i>CPR</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Crosby, Pevar and Raymond (CPR)

CPR is the first studio album recorded by Crosby, Pevar and Raymond (CPR). CPR's self-titled debut album came four years after David Crosby received a life-saving liver transplant, and after being part of two of rock & roll's most iconic bands. Featuring Jeff Pevar, renowned session guitarist and Crosby's son James Raymond, the trio crafted smart, heady, jazz-influenced rock that showcased their stunning harmonies. Then, in 2001, they released "Just Like Gravity", the album which further refined the group's sound.

<i>Simply Nothing</i> 2004 studio album by Shawn McDonald

Simply Nothing is the debut album by singer/songwriter Shawn McDonald on Sparrow Records released August 10, 2004.

<i>We Walked in Song</i> 2007 studio album by The Innocence Mission

We Walked in Song is the eighth studio album by the Innocence Mission. It was released in North America on March 13, 2007 by Badman Recording Co., with a vinyl edition containing the bonus track "Shooting Star (Sketch)" following a week later on March 20. All international versions of the album include the bonus track.

<i>Are You a Dreamer?</i> 2005 studio album by Denison Witmer

Are You a Dreamer? is a studio album by American singer-songwriter Denison Witmer. It was released on The Militia Group on July 26, 2005.

<i>Pure BS</i> 2007 studio album by Blake Shelton

Pure BS is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Blake Shelton, released in 2007 on Warner Bros. Records Nashville. It produced the singles "Don't Make Me" and "The More I Drink". The album was re-released in 2008 with three bonus tracks, one of which — a cover of Michael Bublé's "Home" — was released as a single, becoming Shelton's fourth Number One country hit. Of the eleven tracks, Shelton co-wrote three. The album has been certified Gold by RIAA.

<i>Street Map</i> (EP) 2008 EP by The Innocence Mission

Street Map is an EP of new studio recordings from the Innocence Mission. Limited to 5,000 copies, the release is their first since 2000's Christ Is My Hope to be sold though their website without the involvement of a record label.

The discography of American alternative rock band The Innocence Mission consists of twelve studio albums, one compilation album, two releases issued for free download, five EPs, seventeen singles, ten music videos, and numerous appearances on soundtrack, tribute and sampler albums. The band have had their songs included on over a hundred different compilations and soundtracks, with many of those including the same select few songs. Therefore, only compilations and soundtracks which featured exclusive or otherwise rare content have been included. Also included on this list are their various solo albums and collaborations with other recording artists.

<i>My Room in the Trees</i> 2010 studio album by The Innocence Mission

My Room in the Trees is the ninth studio album by the Innocence Mission, released July 13 by Badman Recording Company.

<i>Hello I Feel the Same</i> 2015 studio album by The Innocence Mission

Hello I Feel the Same is the tenth studio album by American alternative band The Innocence Mission. It was released on October 16, 2015, via Korda Records, a cooperative record label founded by The Ocean Blue, a band with whom the Innocence Mission formed a "long and deep friendship that goes back to some of each band's first shows in Pennsylvania and their major label debut records on Sire and A&M". An edition on translucent green vinyl was released from early January 2016. It is their first studio album since 2010's My Room in the Trees, making five years the longest gap between studio albums in their career.

<i>Sun on the Square</i> 2018 studio album by The Innocence Mission

Sun on the Square is the eleventh studio album by American alternative band The Innocence Mission, released in the United States via Badman Recording Co. and in Japan by P-Vine Records on June 29, 2018, with a European release following one week later on Bella Union. The record is available for streaming via Badman's official SoundCloud channel.

<i>See You Tomorrow</i> (album) 2020 studio album by The Innocence Mission

See You Tomorrow is the twelfth studio album by American alternative band The Innocence Mission, released on January 17, 2020 by Bella Union in Europe and Australia, and by Thérèse Records in the United States and Canada.

<i>A Song Is Way Above the Lawn</i> 2021 studio album by Karen Peris

A Song Is Way Above the Lawn is the second solo album by Karen Peris, lead vocalist and songwriter of American alternative rock band the Innocence Mission. The album was released worldwide on October 8, 2021, via Bella Union.

References

  1. Allmusic review
  2. Pitchfork Media review
  3. Brown, Todd. "The Innocence Mission True Tunes Interview". True Tunes. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  4. "Sufjan Stevens - The Lakes of Canada - A Take Away Show". Youtube. May 31, 2007. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  5. "Sufjan Stevens - NPR All Songs Considered". March 8, 2009. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  6. "The Innocence Mission reissues 'Birds Of My Neighborhood'". Puddlegum. 2021-02-05. Retrieved 2021-02-05.