Having initially played in the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Kevin O’Donnell’s Quality Six then his own Bowl Of Fire, Andrew Bird continued in the 2000’s to gain solo attention as the guy with an act based around technical wizardry. He played multiple instruments, building up loops and layering them in a way that was impressive in its execution, especially as Bird was no mere strummer on guitar, he had a far more refined construction in texture and rhythm. He played guitar and banjo in the pickers style, conjuring up lots of intricacy in the moods, his violin playing was extremely expressive and he possessed some appealing individualist quirks such as a tendency to add nuance with whistled segments. Still, the problem with a performer like that is the technique can often be more attention grabbing than the music.

However, over the last ten years particularly, this has not been the case with Andrew Bird. For me it was around the release of 2012’s ‘Break It Yourself’ that he took his songwriting to another level and since has created some quite wonderful records and fine tuned his methods to a fine grain. The songs have soul, the music is always melodically sensational, lyrically there is a delight in both rhyme play and wit as occasionally a direct punch to the heart will pin you to your seat. He generally sticks to his preferred palate of instruments but they are used to their fullest possible range, the guitars and banjos provide both groove, sonic punctuation and flare while the violin playing can sound anything from mournful in a tender solo, savage when attacked with grated aggression or as lifting and lilting as an orchestra when the song demands. And he still has a pleasing habit of breaking off from singing to add an aching whistle here and there too.

This years ‘Inside Problems’ album emphatically continues this unfolding catalogue with one of his most essential collections yet. These are songs that have been composed diligently and fully realized, they sit together as a full record so well. Highlights beam out from every track such as the euphoric “oh my god I just got born” conclusion to the title song or the shuffling singalong hooks in ‘Lone Didion.’ The stasis sung of in ‘Fixed Positions’ sounds terminal at the start, especially in tone, but the issue is lightened a touch with a line like “if you’re screwing up your face won’t it always stay that way” before progressing, via a rather chirpy whistle, to a stirring climax searching for the resolve to break said fixed positions. During ‘Eight’ there is a heavenly break down where a repetition of plucked, echoing strings lay a bedrock for Andrew to cut loose on the violin with a solo improvisation that is both dramatic and haunting. But in the end, experience this album from start to finish as you should and you will find your own hidden treasures, for the music of Andrew Bird has them waiting for you in droves.

Buy a vinyl copy of the album here: https://www.discogs.com/release/23483408-Andrew-Bird-Inside-Problems