mannny

Oh! The Grandeur consists of similar music to Thrills, but this time the band has perfected their sound. With their base still being in swing and jazz there is also a sense of some alternative rock in several tracks on the album that give this a more contemporary feel. One thing that makes this album far superior to Thrills is that it never becomes repetitive. By not relying on the upbeat swing songs Oh! The Grandeur is an interesting listen from beginning to end. In my opinion this album is a masterpiece by Andrew Bird. The band line up is the same as the previous album: Andrew Bird – vocals, violin. James Mathus – guitar. Josh Hirsch – bass. Kevin O’Donnell – percussion. It was released in 1999 by Rykodisc record label.

The Bowl of Fire perfect what they attempted on Thrills with this album. The album is based in the similar swing and jazz of Thrills but there are no tracks that are lacking in anyway. The entire band delivers on swing tracks like Candy Shop and Coney Island Shuffle. There is some excellent drumming from O’Donnell on these songs. They are not contemporary but if this album came out when swing music was at its height I am sure Candy Shop would be a big hit.

The highlights from the album are three ballads. Beware has one of the most beautiful violin melodies Andrew Bird has composed. This track also features some unconventional sections that show some rock influence into this jazz song. The Confession, similarly to Beware, has another beautiful melody. What make this track stand out are Bird’s flawless vocals harmonized over the violin’s melody. Wait is my favorite song off the album. It is a magnificent jazz ballad with some of Bird’s best vocal work. The distant sounding violin and trumpet solos give the song an extremely melancholic atmosphere.

Tea & Thorazine and Idiot’s Genius are the closest this album comes to alternative rock. They demonstrate the new direction that Andrew Bird is taking in his music and he expands on this in his next album. Tea & Thorazine is still based in jazz but has unconventional electric violin that gives it a much more contemporary feel. Bird also demonstrates his unique lyrics that develop throughout his career. This song is inspired by his autistic brother’s experience with mental institutions: “you laugh like a banshee / gesticulate your delirium / they treat you like a corpse keep you full of candy lithium / what a dream life would seem if you could see / the world from inside an etch-a-sketch”

Oh! The Grandeur is the last album Andrew Bird will release that is only jazz and swing music. His next album will be a departure from this genre and launch his career in alternative/indie rock. Bird ended his period of jazz with an exceptional album on all levels.

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