Oh! Grandeur

I came to Mr. Bird when I discovered that he played violin on SqrlNtZprs albums. I wanted more SNZ, loved the directions they pursued with 'Perennial Favorites' but didn't care at all for 'Bedlam Ballroom.' The production, I felt was all wrong and stood in the way of any judments I could make concerning the album. It sounded slick, polished- and I couldn't stand that. So I tracked down some solo releases by individual members of the Zippers and ended up with the pleasure of Mr. Bird's music. When I first got this CD it didn't leave my CD player for a week and a half, which is rare, as I'm an impatient, moody, feckless, hard to please music aficianado...

Genre-wise this is all over the place, certainly not jazz or swing (not entirely at least, though by grounding himself in the music of a bygone era, Mr. Bird invokes a moody, theatrical vibe that stays with you). All the players know their place and everyone works tightly to maintain the overall ambience of the album. The mood, I feel is equal parts Kurt Weill, Tom Waits and something that is Mr. Bird's own entirely. His voice is on the good side of competent with a (fake?) slight accent and the perfect diction of singers from the 30's. In my head I imagine him looking like the singer from 'The Hudsucker Proxy,' from the scnene where all the women fawn over him (yeah, I know it takes place in the fifties which is the wrong time period, but still...).

The earthy, folk-tinged, gypsy melodies that he conjures from his violin are beautiful to hear and call to mind strange images and memories. His playing is sublime. The lyrics are intelligent, playful, at times macabre and surreal. The CD comes with a tiny notebook of liner notes and lyrics, explanations, etc, done up in a style that seems to be in league with the era that he's channeling.

Some stand out tracks are 'Beware' (very Tom Waits-esque lyrics, a dark and tempestuous little number), 'Feetlips' (sung with an almost Hungarian, Bela Lugosi accent), 'Tea and Thorazine,' (quite eerie), '(What's Your) Angle,' (a rousing, jazzy, upbeat swinging little tune)... Hell, they're all good.

On top of that, "Wait," has to be one of the most beautiful slow-songs I have heard in forever and a day. It's practically BEGGING to have a scene in a romantic movie built around it. The violin is eerie and gorgeous and demonstrates that Mr. Bird isn't all pyrotechnic showman's flash. He can play just as mesmerizingly great when the mood is soft and restrained.