Andrew Bird: Noble Beast

Noble Beast – Chicago musician Andrew Bird’s fifth studio album – unties his violin, whistling, looped percussion and acoustic guitar into beautiful pop assemblage. Bird’s songs are exercises in mood and ambience, less concerned with traditional song structure and melodic progression than with establishing a lived-in space or story. “Fitz & the Dizzyspells” is a rollicking, jolting piece, while “Effigy” draws on Eastern European folk traditions. Throughout, Bird wraps his mellifluous voice around his trademark rhymes, constructed with post-grad vocab and arcane textbook terminology. An accomplished arranger, Bird places tremulous aural effects among moaning, bowed strings and precisely plucked ones. Nothing’s out of place: no handclap, bell or twinkly flourish. Occasionally that precision can make Bird’s songs feel a little remote, but not often. Noble Beast feels less rushed than past albums, and its hour running time occasionally feels tiringly packed with ideas. Consume in sparing portions and enjoy. 4 stars.

Andrew Bird plays the Variety Playhouse on Wed., Feb. 4. Sold out.