Andrew Bird Plays on Rooftop, er, NPR

Happy 2009, Solid State! I hope you all had a lovely holiday season. I certainly did, but I almost feel as though I was busier during my vacation than I am now that I'm back to work. Weird. Moving on . . .

As I begin the new year, I usually like to take a few moments to look back at the year just passed. So I've spent the last couple of days mulling over some of my favorite music from 2008. I know most folks do this before the year actually ends, so I'm maybe a little behind. But frankly, you never know what will transpire in the final weeks of a year. Maybe you discover a late entry that would have made your "Best Of" list but you already wrote it so it's too late. It could happen . . .

Or maybe you were just too busy to get around to it before the end of the year, as was my case. That, my friends, appears to be a trend that will continue into 2009 as I'm still working on compiling my list of favorite (non-local) music from last year. Tomorrow, I promise.

In the meantime, I thought I'd direct you towards an album that will more than likely be on my list at this time next year, Andrew Bird's Noble Beast, due out Tuesday, January 20 . . . January 20 . . . isn't something else happening that day?

(Side note: Doesn't it seem a little funny that a musician, from Chicago of all places, would choose one of the most important days in US history to release his new album? Maybe it was a label decision. But talk about being upstaged. Sheesh.)

Anyway, NPR is streaming the entire album here. Check it out. It's awesome. Groin-grabbingly awesome, in fact. It also contains my favorite line of the year so far: "This is gonna misspell disaster."

Comments

[casey]

My org is a co-beneficiary of an all-Chicago (well, except Ted Leo, who just got added) rock party at the Black Cat in DC on Inauguration Eve. Andrew Bird and Tortoise are playing!

[dan bolles]

Well, that makes much more sense. Thanks, Casey. And well played, Mr. Bird.

[Tyler Machado]

Ahhh probably my favorite musician going right now. Can't wait for the April 5th show, even if his performances are more meant for theaters and not nightclubs if his last Higher Ground show is anything to go by...