My Finest Work Yet
by Andrew Bird
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. The A.V. Club
    Mar 22, 2019
    91
    he 10 tracks that make up My Finest Work Yet feel even more present, more in the moment, while never sacrificing any musicianship. Paul Butler’s production makes a gorgeous chorus out of the potential cacophony of a roomful of instruments and voices. The arrangements are as precise as ever, the track order gradually revealing a narrative that includes wrongdoings, incitement, and action.
  2. Sputnikmusic
    Mar 25, 2019
    86
    It may not garner the same kind of fond appreciation that fans have for The Mysterious Production of Eggs, or Break It Yourself, but this album is less a niche corner of the folk genre and more an illustrious banner for all to appreciate. In Bird’s vast canon of genre experimentation, there’s room for at least one big time indie-rock record--and this fills those shoes quite well.
  3. Under The Radar
    Apr 3, 2019
    80
    These 10 songs are some of his most musically straightforward and accessible.
  5. musicOMH.com
    Mar 29, 2019
    80
    My Finest Work Yet an album that will immediately appeal to Andrew Bird’s long-term fans, and may well attract a few new ones as well.
  6. Drowned In Sound
    Mar 29, 2019
    80
    It’s a piece of masterful craftsmanship tucked snugly into the singer-songwriter tradition, filled with country-soul ballads and grungy laments driven by jangly guitars, family band harmonies, rumbling pianos and cinematic string passages that should appeal broadly to fans of the genre without alienating his own die-hards.
  7. AllMusic
    Mar 25, 2019
    80
    Rather than issuing directives, Bird, like most of us, is struggling to figure out what to make of trying times without reducing himself to the level of the worst among us, and the process has helped him create an album that is likely to stay relevant and satisfying for a long time to come.
  8. Glide Magazine
    Mar 25, 2019
    80
    My Finest Work Yet is an elegant musical piece, enriched by stimulating messaging.
  9. Q Magazine
    Mar 20, 2019
    80
    My Finest Work is definitely a high watermark, and one that deserves to reach a bigger audience. [May 2019, p.117]
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  10. Exclaim
    Mar 20, 2019
    80
    Blending themes of politics and modern science into his fashion of storytelling, My Finest Work Yet is a true tour de force.
  11. Pitchfork
    Mar 25, 2019
    76
    A pleasantly surprising return on My Finest Work Yet, his most plainly and darkly funny album in a long time.
  12. Consequence
    Apr 1, 2019
    75
    My Finest Work Yet is a strong collection of music buoyed by Bird’s mastery as a musician, recognizable whistling melodies, and , thoughtful lyrics. He does get political and inevitably opens himself up to criticism for it, but he does so with a light touch that doesn’t overpower the songs. Even if listeners disagree with Bird’s views, they’ll still enjoy the music.
  13. Uncut
    Mar 21, 2019
    70
    "Bellevue Bridge Club" lands somewhere between Van Morrison, Richie Havens and--if only thanks to his violin's drones--The Velvet Underground, while "Manifest" is like a sober Townes Van Zandt. [May 2019, p.24]
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  14. The Line of Best Fit
    Mar 20, 2019
    70
    Recorded live without headphones or separate tracks, the sound is intimate and conspiratorial. The perfect polish of a meticulously assembled recording is set aside in favour of a sense of the room and the musicians in it, united in their organic performances.

Awards & Rankings

55
#55 Most Shared Album of 2019

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 31
  3. Negative: 1 out of 31
  1. jawii42
    Mar 22, 2019
    9
    This album has all the earmarks of an Andrew Bird album. It has plenty of whistling, soaring melodies, both bowed and pizzicato violin. ItThis album has all the earmarks of an Andrew Bird album. It has plenty of whistling, soaring melodies, both bowed and pizzicato violin. It has words like weather, recalcitrant, abomination, taciturn, disaster, tendril. That being said, it has plenty of other textures that really make for an enjoyable listen.

    The piano seems to be much more present in this album than in recent albums. In some songs it is just as accents, but in others it really drives the songs forward.

    Andrew really had some fun sonically with “Fallorun” which leads to one of the catchiest songs on the album.

    Archipelago borrowed a melody off Down under the Hyperion Bridge off of his instrumental album “Echolocations: River”, but it is still definitely its own song.

    The beginning of Proxy War starts with piano and a violin though some kind of distortion pedal that sounds like a brass section and invokes a 70’s soul groove. It soon pivots into a song more recognizable as an upbeat Bird song.

    I know that Bird uses intentional distortion in many of his songs, but there were a few places on the album where I heard what sounds like unintentional clipping which distracted me, but it was only obvious when I was listening with headphones.

    I have heard interviews where Bird has said that this is not a political album, but more of a reflection of the political environment in which it was written. That being said some, people may be turned off if they consider it too much of a commentary. I personally am usually too caught up in the melodies to pay too much the word play.

    Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this album.    … Full Review »
  2. musicwizard636
    May 7, 2019
    8
    This new record "My Finest Work Yet" finds Andrew Bird channeling his inner Father John Misty with catchy yet bitter songs about life andThis new record "My Finest Work Yet" finds Andrew Bird channeling his inner Father John Misty with catchy yet bitter songs about life and love. Fittingly, it is his finest work yet.… Full Review »
  3. matheusvhs
    Apr 3, 2019
    9
    My Finest Work Here, it was Andrew Bird's first album that I listened to, if it's his finest work here, I don't know. But this is one of theMy Finest Work Here, it was Andrew Bird's first album that I listened to, if it's his finest work here, I don't know. But this is one of the best albums released this year so far, I'm sure!… Full Review »
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