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Armchair Apocrypha
by Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 81 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.2 out of 10
based on 31 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 54 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

The Chicago-based singer-songwriter returns with his tenth album of literate and eclectic indie rock.

LABEL: Fat Possum
RELEASE DATE: 20 March 2007
DISCS: 1 disc
GENRE(S): Indie, Rock

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

91
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Bird has developed a finesse for off-kilter pop that takes mortality, confusion, and unexpected realizations as its subject, shaping them all into songs that are catchier, by their own terms, than most of Top 40 radio.
Read Full Review
90
PopMatters
By taking the piss out of himself and the cynicism out of his outlook, Bird’s songs are not only smart and sensible but joyous and full of hope.
Read Full Review
90
Drowned In Sound
This is an intellectual jaunt that reveals the beauty of pop music, both musically and lyrically.
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90
Playlouder
This is a record that will so quickly get under your skin and fill your head with such a bounty of melodies that the only way to relieve the swelling is to joyously whistle them out.
Read Full Review
90
ShakingThrough.net
The arrangements are lovely, as always, but it’s Bird’s openness (as opposed to his inscrutability) that pays the greatest dividends on this exquisite, resonant work.
Read Full Review
85
Prefix Magazine
The songs on Armchair Apocrypha are broader, more sweeping in content and delivery than their immediate predecessors.
Read Full Review
84
Lost At Sea
Armchair Apocrypha is a wonderful record.
Read Full Review
83
Stylus Magazine
The experimental, lo-fi branding of his oeuvre is gone, but the originality of his sound continues to trump the nostalgic demons in his head.
Read Full Review
83
Entertainment Weekly
Occasionally he overreaches... but when Bird keeps things simple, Apocrypha is full of modest charms. [23 Mar 2007, p.59]
82
cokemachineglow
Andrew Bird has thrown down his gauntlet brimming with post-structural imagery, swirling entropy, a truly floral arrangement of genre pieces and genre mixing.
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80
No Ripcord
His songwriting style remains largely unaltered: eloquent, abstract, stream-of-consciousness rambles, tiny bits of which manage to lodge themselves in your brain. But his talent is most apparent as a composer.
Read Full Review
80
Almost Cool
As a whole, the album doesn't stand up quite as well as The Mysterious Production Of Eggs, but it's still another solid entry in Bird's discography.
Read Full Review
80
Paste Magazine
On Apocrypha... Bird may be simultaneously at his most clever and most luminous. [Apr 2007, p.55]
80
Spin
This stream-of-consciousness head trip blends tricky, delicious melodies and slippery lyrics, yet never lapses into annoyingly smug artiness. [Mar 2007, p.88]
80
Uncut
A record dotted with peaks. [Apr 2007, p.93]
80
Q Magazine
It could be horribly contrived, yet Bird has the rare touch to make it sound as natural as breathing. [May 2007, p.125]
80
Magnet
Apocrypha feels of a piece with Eggs, though without as many layers or as heightened a sense of playfulness. [#75, p.91]
80
Mojo
Overall, the album might not surpass his masterpiece The Mysterious Production Of Eggs, but Armchair Apocrypha proves Bird's knack for the musical hat-trick. [May 2007, p.102]
80
The Guardian
It's a knock-out.
Read Full Review
77
Pitchfork
Armchair Apocrypha is ultimately another object of strange and unique beauty from this inventive songwriter and performer.
Read Full Review
70
Rolling Stone
Seemingly simple elements -- plucked violin, shuffling snare drums, chiming guitars, plinky piano, his spooky croon and magisterial whistle -- build into one heady, slippery whole.
Read Full Review
70
Under The Radar
What the songs might lose in pluck and idiosyncrasy, they gain in depth and craft, still letting Bird show off his rakish voice and trademark violin ripping. [#17, p.90]
70
New Musical Express
This album proves that Bird is up there with the kings of US alt.country pop like Lambchop and My Morning Jacket.
Read Full Review
70
Slant Magazine
The opaqueness of Bird's lyrics doesn't exactly jibe with this more mainstream musical approach.
Read Full Review
70
Amazon.com
Making no palpable effort to crack the conventional with overflowing melodies and love songs, Bird instead latches up the intellect to create tiny packages of literature that make always leave you thinking--and snapping your fingers at the same time.
Read Full Review
70
Boston Globe
The strength of this album lies in Bird's ability to write challenging, evocative lyrics, and then wed his erudite prose with joyous melodies.
Read Full Review
70
Village Voice
Armchair is a bit more accessible and less subtle [than Eggs], less of a single statement, but with more individual standouts.
Read Full Review
70
Tiny Mix Tapes
Although Bird certainly isn’t breaking new ground in terms of his overall sound since his last album, he has still put out another solid record chock-full of witty lyricisms and lilting melodies that do a wonderful job of showing off his oh-so-smooth voice.
Read Full Review
67
Austin Chronicle
Armchair Apocrypha, is as instantly engaging as "Fake Palindromes" from 05's Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs.
Read Full Review
60
Blender
The music's intellectualism obscures as many truths as it unveils. [Mar 2007, p.130]
60
Dusted Magazine
Bird’s intelligence – and obvious delight in the associations that words seem to make on their own – often places his lyrics in the precocious high-school poet camp.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this album is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 54 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Lars P. gave it a10:
Just take 12 really catchy pop songs - ones that you can't but help but like, despite how cool you are - and then layer it a gazillion times with unheard of instrument combinations (love that whistle), poetry, and an extremely talented musician...voila: Andrew Bird's Armchair Apocrypha. It gets better with every listen; the layers of complexity never stop unraveling. Bird manages to pull it off without coming off as an arrogant uptight indie snob.

Dan B. gave it an8:
It doesn't have standouts like the last album, but at the same time, there are no weak moments. It's an album you can really listen to from start to finish without wanting to skip a moment. So. It's not the most amazing album--it's not forceful, doesn't make itself absolutely necessary--but it's still really good. In the end, short of an album's worth of crack-good single-worthy tunes that somehow also congeal into a solid album (see: anything by the Beatles?), what more can you ask for?

shes_so loose gave it a7:
The Mysterious Production of Eggs was my favourite album for 2005. This one is different, and good, but largely inferior. Still, a worthy record by an amazing artist.

Blake gave it a10:
Simply superb! Andrew Bird is unique songwriter.

Nic M gave it a9:
Though I was a bit disappointed at first, this album as really, REALLY grown on me. better than Eggs in almost every way (which is saying something as I love that album, too), this album will make your head explode and your brains melt because it's so good. head explode.

Ben L. gave it a10:
This deserves a 10 on pure technical prowess alone. Andrew Bird is one of the most talented multi-instrumentalists working today. When you add his quirky charm and his excellent sense of composition . . .

Oof F. gave it a9:
I listen to your record while I'm reading sharktext. It makes a nice soundtrack.

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