My Finest Work Yet | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 22, 2019 | |||
Studio | Barefoot Studios (Los Angeles) Sound City Studios (Los Angeles) Dreamland Recording (Hurley, New York) | |||
Genre | Indie rock, [1] indie folk [1] | |||
Length | 45:08 | |||
Label | Loma Vista | |||
Producer |
| |||
Andrew Bird chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from My Finest Work Yet | ||||
|
My Finest Work Yet is the twelfth solo studio album by Andrew Bird, released on March 22, 2019. It is notable for being Andrew Bird's first overtly political album, [2] covering topics such as divisive political atmosphere, climate change, and apathy. [3]
"Bloodless," which was released as the first single, was written between the 2016 election and Charlottesville. "I was trying to figure out a way to step back and look at everything that's going on," Bird said, "and look at how we're caught in this sort of death spiral." [4] The album title, similar to previous album Are You Serious , was originally a working title and an inside joke. When asked if it truly was his "finest work yet," Bird responded, "At some point, all of them are." [4]
The album cover was photographed by creative director Amanda Demme. [5] It is a recreation of the 1793 painting The Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David, which depicts Jean-Paul Marat, a journalist and revolutionary who was assassinated during the height of the French Revolution. The painting was originally chosen so that its dramatic nature ("the suffering poet on his deathbed penning his last words with his dying breath") would enhance the humorous tongue-in-cheek title of the album. Upon further research, however, Bird found that the painting's historical significance lined up with the political tone of the album. [6]
The album was recorded with the full band playing together in the studio, allowing the sound of instruments to 'bleed' together on different channels, "against the trend of the last 30 to 40 years, which is to isolate every sound and manipulate it [later] in the mix." [3]
Bird released the single "Bloodless" on November 2, 2018. [7] The album was officially announced on January 30, 2019, [8] with the album's second single "Sisyphus" released the same day. [9] A third single, "Manifest", was released on March 5, 2019. [10] My Finest Work Yet was released on March 22, 2019, through Loma Vista Recordings. [11]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.6/10 [12] |
Metacritic | 80/100 [13] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The A.V. Club | A− [14] |
Consequence of Sound | B [15] |
Exclaim! | 8/10 [16] |
Mojo | [17] |
musicOMH | [18] |
Pitchfork | 7.6/10 [19] |
Q | [20] |
Sputnikmusic | 4.3/5 [21] |
Uncut | 7/10 [22] |
My Finest Work Yet received favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 80, based on 14 reviews. [13] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. [12]
Mark Deming of AllMusic called the album "passionate, beautifully crafted indie rock with an artful undercurrent of folk, and Bird has rarely been as consistently in strong form as a vocalist. Bird and his studio band deliver performances that are dynamic and evocative while sounding fresh and uncluttered, and as usual, his guitar and violin work (as well as his whistling) are first-rate. Bird isn't afraid of melodrama or broad gestures, yet his emotional force is carefully focused and purposeful in these sessions, and this work speaks to the heart as well as the intellect." [1]
All tracks are written by Andrew Bird
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sisyphus" | 4:06 |
2. | "Bloodless" | 6:29 |
3. | "Olympians" | 4:00 |
4. | "Cracking Codes" | 3:12 |
5. | "Fallorun" | 4:26 |
6. | "Archipelago" | 4:38 |
7. | "Proxy War" | 4:05 |
8. | "Manifest" | 5:17 |
9. | "Don The Struggle" | 4:31 |
10. | "Bellevue Bridge Club" | 4:24 |
Total length: | 45:08 |
In My Head is the sixth studio album by American punk band Black Flag. It was released in 1985 on SST Records, and was their final studio album before their breakup in 1986. The CD reissue adds three of the four songs that later appeared on the I Can See You EP, replicating the original 1985 cassette release which came out concurrent to the LP.
Nocturne is a live double album and video by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on 25 November 1983 by Polydor Records. Co-produced by Mike Hedges, Nocturne features performances recorded at two shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London, on 30 September and 1 October 1983, featuring Robert Smith on guitar.
Hearts of Oak is the third studio album by American indie rock band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, released on February 11, 2003 by Lookout! Records. A music video was filmed for the single "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?".
Augie March are an Australian pop and indie rock band formed in 1996 in Shepparton, Victoria. Since 2001 the group consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Glenn Richards, lead guitarist Adam Donovan, bass guitarist Edmondo Ammendola, drummer David Williams, and keyboardist Kiernan Box. Box had replaced Robert Dawson, the band's piano player since March 2000, who died in January 2001.
"And Your Bird Can Sing" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on their 1966 album Revolver, apart from in the United States and Canada, where it instead appeared on Yesterday and Today. The song was written mainly by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The recording features an extended dual-guitar melody, played by George Harrison and Paul McCartney, which anticipated the harmonised guitar arrangements commonly used by Southern rock, hard rock and heavy metal bands.
Stop Making Sense is an 1984 American concert film featuring a live performance by the American rock band Talking Heads. The film was directed by Jonathan Demme and executive produced by Gary Kurfirst, the band’s longtime manager. The film was shot over four nights in December 1983 at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre while Talking Heads were on tour promoting their 1983 album, Speaking in Tongues. Stop Making Sense includes performances of the early Talking Heads single, "Psycho Killer" (1977), through to their most recent hit at the time, "Burning Down the House" (1983). It also includes songs from the solo career of frontman David Byrne and by Tom Tom Club, the side project of drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth.
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.
Z is the fourth studio album by psychedelic rock band My Morning Jacket. This collection features a much spacier and more polished sound than previous releases, making heavy use of synthesizers throughout and incorporating reggae and dub influences. The heavy reverb that was a defining characteristic of the band's prior recordings is largely absent. The songs on the album are more focused and shorter compared to the band's previous albums.
I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight is the second album released by Richard Thompson, and his first to include his then wife, Linda Thompson, the pair being credited as Richard and Linda Thompson. It was issued by Island Records in the UK in 1974. Although the album did not sell and was critically ignored, it has been described as "a timeless masterpiece" and considered one of the finest releases by the two singers, whether working singly or together.
Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs is the third solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter Andrew Bird, and his second album following the disbandment of Bowl of Fire. It was released on February 8, 2005, through Righteous Babe Records. The album art, along with track illustrations in the accompanying booklet were drawn by Jay Ryan. Bird expanded on his earlier work on Weather Systems; the song "Skin Is, My" is an outgrowth of his earlier song "Skin".
Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus is the twenty-first studio album, and thirty-second overall, by Chicago. Often referred to as their "lost" album, it was recorded in 1993 and originally intended to be released as Stone of Sisyphus on March 22, 1994, as their eighteenth studio album and twenty-second total album. However, the album was unexpectedly and controversially rejected by the record company, which reportedly contributed to Chicago's later decision to leave their services entirely. Even after the band acquired the rights to their catalog, the album remained unreleased until June 17, 2008, after a delay of fourteen years and ten more albums.
Sisyphus was the king of Corinth, punished in Tartarus by being cursed to roll a huge boulder up a hill in Greek mythology.
Noble Beast is the fifth solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter Andrew Bird, and his eighth overall. It was 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.
Splendora was an American all-female alternative rock band from New York City. Formed in 1993 by Janet Wygal, Tricia Wygal, Delissa Santos (drums), Cindy Brolsma (cello), and Jennifer Richardson (violin), the band released one studio album, In the Grass (1995), before disbanding in 2002.
Break It Yourself is the sixth solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter Andrew Bird, 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 St. Vincent.
Sisyphus is the debut studio album by Sisyphus, a collaborative project between Serengeti, Son Lux, and Sufjan Stevens. It was released through Asthmatic Kitty on March 18, 2014. The project was commissioned by the Walker Art Center and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's Liquid Music series to accompany an exhibition of the work of visual artist Jim Hodges, scheduled to run from February 14 through May 11, 2014.
"Life Goes On" is a song by the British rock band The Kinks. Appearing on their album Sleepwalker, it was written by the band's main songwriter, Ray Davies.
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.
Madison Cunningham is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Rolling Stone described her music as "a new spin on West Coast folk-rock, with classical tendencies, electric guitars, jazz-school chord changes and alt-rock strut all living under the same roof". Her second studio album, Who Are You Now (2019), was nominated for the best Americana album in the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. Her third studio album Revealer (2022) won the Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2023.
Pelago is the debut studio album by American country music artist Ryan Hurd. It was released on October 15, 2021, via Sony Music Nashville. Its lead single, "Chasing After You", is certified Platinum by the RIAA.