ALBUM OF THE WEEK: BIRD – My Fear And Me
Hailing from Liverpool, BIRD have been impressing with their brooding musings – see why their debut made our Album of the Week.
Album Reviews | Released
BIRD – My Fear And Me
(Baltic Records)
5 out of 5
Whilst BIRD may have a rather unfriendly Google searchable name, this lack of access to their world fits in well with the mysterious music that they create. Like some long lost time capsule from the early 1980’s, their music is a haunting paean which invokes strong emotions and could well be the offshoot child of Siouxsie Sioux and Robert Smith. It’s beguiling and beautiful and once you are trapped in their world you don’t want to leave.
Ghosts opens in a rather inauspicious way as the thudding bass pulls you down into a dark, ethereal world where ravens may call out to the dead and your senses are smothered in a haunting vocal which unnerves and delights in equal doses.
It is the vocals of Adele Emmas that the music is built around and there is a perfect symbiosis at work here which belies the age of the band. Arriving fully formed, songs like A War and Oh My Love take their time to seep into your consciousness and it is this willingness to do it on their own terms that makes BIRD so special. Oh My Love in particular drifts between dreamy vocals only to be counterbalanced by a thrilling crescendo of music to lay claim to the soul of the song.
Bullet is steeped in murder balladry with lyrics of moonlight, bats and rivers bringing a heavy soaked blues feel to the song. This is then matched by the full on assault of Sea Of Trees which rests on a tumultuous garage rock riff; literally cascading through the speakers as Adele wails her emotions over the top. It could all sound so over the top but the judgement at work and in particular the production turn it into a near-motorik experience, opening up into a wonderful cinematic experience.
Nature plays a huge part in this album and none more so than on the brilliant I Am The Mountain which opens up almost slow motion before the kick-drum signals a change in tempo and we are in superb pop territory. Religious imagery mixes with a glistening guitar line before exploding into full on anthem mode as a soaring choir like voice guides us ever onward.
The Night brings us down from this reverie as BIRD delve deeper into their dark heart before once again upping the ante with a wonderful drum pattern which becomes a sort of yin against Adele’s yang and then it’s left for a brief interlude before Rain Song begins it’s now familiar thrust.
Destined to become a classic of future BIRD live shows, at the moment it is still fresh enough for us to enjoy and as the music drifts it’s way down its windy path we are sucked into the rhythm once again. Swooping electronics open the song into an expansive treat as Adele yearns to hold her head high as the rain pours over her.
That might be enough for some bands but BIRD have more tricks up their sleeve; the delightful Dorothia offers a song which lives for it’s melody, although you get the feeling there are much darker feelings at work here. It all ends in a chorus of what seems like angels pulling you down into it’s vortex and shredding your soul to pieces.
After that emotion shredding moment BIRD finish off with Blue, a song which glides along on a piano as Adele turns on her inner torch singer and sends us off with a lullaby after all the tension that has gone before. It’s a defining moment of the album and one that brings it full circle.
This is one of the most stunning pieces of work from a new band for quite some time and is a personal nomination for album of the year lists. It contains music that will rip your heart to pieces, make your emotions soar and ultimately reduce you to a quivering wreck. It is brilliant, haunting, beautiful and lifts you up into the true realm of birds.
Martyn Coppack
