My Finest Work Yet
by Andrew Bird
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
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  1. garfield7081
    Mar 25, 2022
    8
    in fact bird's finest work. while the highlights stand out, filler drags down the album

    best song: manifest

    worst song: cracking codes
  2. Mmmmmkafka
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Every time I listen I love it even more. I’ve always tried to love Andrew Bird. This album made me a fan. I feel like I’ve been listening to him forever. Ugh every song is perfect.
  3. mythras
    Oct 26, 2019
    10
    Album of the year. My favorite in years, and I’m looking (since Sturgill Simpson’s sailor’s guide to earth or nick cave’s lovely creatures, which as a compilation doesn’t compete). The critics really missed this one (surprise surprise). Hot singles: Bellevue Bridge Club, Bloodless (check the video), Manifest. An extremely cohesive album from open to close. This is art, what music andAlbum of the year. My favorite in years, and I’m looking (since Sturgill Simpson’s sailor’s guide to earth or nick cave’s lovely creatures, which as a compilation doesn’t compete). The critics really missed this one (surprise surprise). Hot singles: Bellevue Bridge Club, Bloodless (check the video), Manifest. An extremely cohesive album from open to close. This is art, what music and poetry should strive to be, that gets better with each listen. Hand’s down, Bird’s finest work yet.… Expand
  4. 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 and love. Fittingly, it is his finest work yet.
  5. CapnBill
    Apr 22, 2019
    10
    I'm really surprised to not see more people citing this album as a companion piece to Marvin Gaye's What's Goin On? This album seem sto bubble up from the cracked surface of a tapped out Mother Earth with the purpose of conviction that Bird wears well. Beyond the obvious possible read as a cautionary tale on the perils of letting your enemies effect your narrative, there is an earthinessI'm really surprised to not see more people citing this album as a companion piece to Marvin Gaye's What's Goin On? This album seem sto bubble up from the cracked surface of a tapped out Mother Earth with the purpose of conviction that Bird wears well. Beyond the obvious possible read as a cautionary tale on the perils of letting your enemies effect your narrative, there is an earthiness to the instrumentation that feels both organic and ethereal simultaneously.

    Bird earns every peak in a fairly straightforward way that he hasn't used to this extent in prior long plays. This album builds into worthy crescendos and lush lulls in ways that lead a listener down a path of fulfillment and out of a fog of social media scuzziness. If Bird is signalling an era of post-anger, I am ready to join forces and reject the reactionary culture so in vogue. Our anger has been spun into profits for the few and I for one can jump from that train and live a fulfilled life by Cracking the Code.

    The beauty of Bird's melodies have never been in question. The complexity of his allegories have sometimes required a deep understanding of the classics, but on this one, his melodies payoff more than ever because the impact of the words is so direct. Pull away from the particulars of the trees and view the forest for what he has assembled. True that our enemies are part of that forest, but they don't need to drive our narrative if we choose.    … Expand
  6. CiphirSol
    Apr 16, 2019
    9
    It's like Andrew Bird but the song structures are more Father John Misty, and that's a good thing. Plenty of nuance in the production rewards repeated listens.
  7. NavyBean
    Apr 5, 2019
    10
    It is.

    Every song is amazing. Better with each listen. Best played loud. Thoughtful, introspective, beautifully articulated. Love "Cracking Codes" "Bellevue Bridge Club" "Manifest" oh boy. His best ever. His best ever. His best ever. An album for forever.
  8. 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 the best albums released this year so far, I'm sure!
  9. NCLuthier
    Mar 24, 2019
    8
    I feel like a few songs in this album are a little lacking but the five songs Bellevue Bridge Club, Manifest, Sisyphus, Bloodless, and Olympians make up for it. The only song in this album that I didn't really do it for me was Don The Struggle. The lyrics and beat just felt a little off. Andrew's vocals throughout this album are however phenomenal. I love his use of violin throughout hisI feel like a few songs in this album are a little lacking but the five songs Bellevue Bridge Club, Manifest, Sisyphus, Bloodless, and Olympians make up for it. The only song in this album that I didn't really do it for me was Don The Struggle. The lyrics and beat just felt a little off. Andrew's vocals throughout this album are however phenomenal. I love his use of violin throughout his work, this album however focused more on vocals which was a nice change. I've heard many comparisons of this album to work of Father John Misty but I really don't see it beyond the song Sisyphus. Even then, Sisyphus offers much a much more diverse array of instrumentals and vocals than any similar songs of Father John Misty's with Andrew's whistling and violin bits. The rest of the album is however much more jazz focused with some obvious influences from the Beatles. If I were to choose a favorite from this album I'd whole hardheadedly say Bellevue Bridge Club. Overall I'd give this album a 8.5.… Expand
  10. MusicMan72
    Mar 22, 2019
    6
    I am a big fan of Andrew Bird. But while I write this I am comparing the last album which was fantastic, I find this new one drags a bit. The pacing seems off. A couple of songs the first one and the last 2 on the album are good, not great. But the middle seems to be a mosh pit of ideas that are not going anywhere. Definitely not as catchy are prior albums (Noble Beast) Seems to be of aI am a big fan of Andrew Bird. But while I write this I am comparing the last album which was fantastic, I find this new one drags a bit. The pacing seems off. A couple of songs the first one and the last 2 on the album are good, not great. But the middle seems to be a mosh pit of ideas that are not going anywhere. Definitely not as catchy are prior albums (Noble Beast) Seems to be of a deep blues, deep jazz influence. I have listened to it 3 times, and I still get that feeling. Not the finest work but OK.… Expand
  11. 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. 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.    This 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.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

55
#55 Most Shared Album of 2019

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. Under The Radar
    Apr 3, 2019
    80
    These 10 songs are some of his most musically straightforward and accessible.
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  2. 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.
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  3. 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.
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