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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Armchair Apocrypha
by Andrew Bird
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 |
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.
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.
90
Drowned In Sound
This is an intellectual jaunt that reveals the beauty of pop music, both musically and lyrically.
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.
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.
85
Prefix Magazine
The songs on Armchair Apocrypha are broader, more sweeping in content and delivery than their immediate predecessors.
84
Lost At Sea
Armchair Apocrypha is a wonderful record.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
77
Pitchfork
Armchair Apocrypha is ultimately another object of strange and unique beauty from this inventive songwriter and performer.
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.
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.
70
Slant Magazine
The opaqueness of Bird's lyrics doesn't exactly jibe with this more mainstream musical approach.
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.
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.
70
Village Voice
Armchair is a bit more accessible and less subtle [than Eggs], less of a single statement, but with more individual standouts.
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.
67
Austin Chronicle
Armchair Apocrypha, is as instantly engaging as "Fake Palindromes" from 05's Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs.
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.
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.
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