Andrew Bird Armchair Apocrypha (180GV)

3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[S]eemingly simple elements -- plucked violin, shuffling snare drums, chiming guitars, plinky piano, his spooky croon and magisterial whistle -- build into one heady, slippery whole..."
4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his stream-of-consciousness head trip blends tricky, delicious melodies and slippery lyrics, yet never lapses into annoyingly smug artiness."
"[A] set of low-key, carefully arranged rock songs with sneaky melodies, mumbly vocals, and only the most tasteful of quirky flourishes..." -- Grade: B+
4 stars out of 5 -- "[V]ery much his own splendid creation -- a questing, kaleidoscopic world that reverberates to the sound of whistling, glockenspiels and birdsong."
"Andrew Bird's triad of wistful, sometimes simply sad weapons -- the timbre of his voice, the weep of his violin and his painfully lonesome whistle -- combine on ARMCHAIR APOCRYPHA with some of his most intriguingly depressing tales yet."
"Busting entirely out of the intimate space he created on 2003's WEATHER SYSTEMS, Andrew Bird inhabits an emotional range and resonance on his new album that we've only glimpsed elsewhere in his catalog."
4 stars out of 5 -- "Andrew Bird's songs are shot through with a beauty of terrible consequence....ARMCHAIR APOCRYPHA proves Bird's knack for the musical hat-trick."