ANDREW BIRD'S BOWL OF FIRE
The Swimming Hour (Ryko)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

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After a couple of wonderful old timey fiddle records Andrew Bird pulls the Persian rug out from the swingers and delivers an about face pop record. Ouch you say? Wait for the sting to go away, for there's a reward down the line. This may not have the panache and folly of previous efforts, but how long can you stay mired in a pre-war era time warp? After all we all wanna rock, right? I say go forth Andrew and bless you. The fret and worry of swerving towards the middle of the road is soon dispelled as Bird slips in tiny eye-brow raisers among his bouncy new pop. A little tempo shift here, a small odd instrument intrusion there and voila: a baker's dozen tunes each with a distinct flavour. Bird may be playing the pop game, but he is stretching it like few can: incorporating odd instrument combinations into his cleverly complicated arrangements. He hasn't abandoned his wonderful archaic sense of humour as evidenced by the swimmingly hokey "Dear Old Greenland", but these doses are more controlled and thus pack a bigger punch. Yes this is a musician's record, but the rest of us can enjoy it too.

© 2001 - John Sekerka