SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ANDREW BIRD’S BOWL OF FIRE – THRILLS/OH! THE GRANDEUR (25th ANNIVERSARY REISSUES)

ANDREW BIRD’S BOWL OF FIRE
THRILLS/OH! THE GRANDEUR (25th ANNIVERSARY REISSUES)
ORG MUSIC

For those who need reminding of a little bit of history, Andrew Bird might not be the freshest face on the scene, but his musical development took a bit of a long (and surely winding) road from his days with Squirrel Nut Zippers to his avant-garde pop days of now.

Leaving Squirrel Nut Zippers, Bird started a band, Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire, and released two albums in 1998 and 1999, Thrills and Oh! The Grandeur. These are both now being re-released for their 25th anniversary.

So how do these two albums stack up 25 years on? Essentially, quite well. The first reason lies in the fact that Bird decided to move a few steps on from what he did with Squirrel Nut Zippers, focusing on the now somewhat timeless sound of the swing/gypsy jazz of the 20s and 30s decades of the last century, applying his violin wizardry as well as that of the other members of his band.

It is easy-flowing music where Bird is able to fully recreate the spirit and essence of the music of those two decades, with his vocals fully integrating into the sound.

And while Thrills is ‘one for one’ into the swing/gypsy jazz/ blues era, Oh! The Grandeur starts to include elements that are recognizable of Bird’s fully solo efforts, evident on tracks like “Wishing For Contentment” and “Wait” while still keeping a latch to the bygone era.

In any case, both albums stand the test of time and hold their own along with Bird’s more current material.

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