Midwestern folk charmer Andrew Bird recently unveiled plans to embark on a 2016 world tour, but kept fans in the dark with regards to the arrival of any new material. Well, last night (February 4), that piece of the puzzle fell in to place when the singer-songwriter debuted a brand new single called "Capsized." Now, he's unveiled plans for his next studio album.
Titled Are You Serious, the new record is due out on April 1 through Loma Vista. The album artwork is pictured above.
Produced by Tony Berg, the album is described in a press release as "his most direct lyrically to date" and features contributions from Fiona Apple and Blake Mills. The songs were written in a week-long period while his family moved from New York to California, stopping at a rural Illinois farm for a couple weeks on the way. It was a move inspired by a patch of rough years trying to raise a child in the big city while his wife recovered from a serious illness.
Dropping "folksy quaintness" and "whimsical flights of fancy," in favour of an overwhelming urge to work through the difficulties in his life, it marks a significant change in Bird's music-making approach.
Bird played the new track "Capsized" for the first time in front of the television audience at Conan last night, showcasing his groovier, bluesier musical personality, backed by a full band. Check out his performance of "Capsized" in the player below. Beyond that, you can also watch the official lyric video for the same song.
The album will come as a deluxe edition that includes the bonus tracks "Shoulder Mountain" and "Pulaski." There's also a deluxe box version of the release, which contains the LP, a 7-inch with the bonus tracks and an exclusive 10-inch called Are We Not Burning? The Devolution of Capsized. You can learn more about all the versions available here and see the tracklists below.
The album serves as the first new material from Bird since his 2014 album of the Handsome Family covers, Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of. His last album of original music arrived as Hands of Glory back in 2012, which served as a companion piece to that same year's Break It Yourself.
As previously reported, Bird has a world tour coming up. You can see all the dates here.
Are You Serious:
1. Capsized
2. Roma Fade
3. Truth Lies Low
4. Puma
5. Chemical Switches
6. Left Handed Kisses
7. Are You Serious
8. Saints Preservus
9. The New Saint Jude
10. Valleys Of The Young
11. Bellevue
12 Shoulder Mountain *
13 Pulaski *
* bonus tracks on deluxe version
Are We Not Burning? The Devolution of Capsized:
1. Trimmed and Burning
2. Venetian Bedmaker
3. Dying Beds
4. Jackson Bedmaker
5. Capsized – Sound City Version
Titled Are You Serious, the new record is due out on April 1 through Loma Vista. The album artwork is pictured above.
Produced by Tony Berg, the album is described in a press release as "his most direct lyrically to date" and features contributions from Fiona Apple and Blake Mills. The songs were written in a week-long period while his family moved from New York to California, stopping at a rural Illinois farm for a couple weeks on the way. It was a move inspired by a patch of rough years trying to raise a child in the big city while his wife recovered from a serious illness.
Dropping "folksy quaintness" and "whimsical flights of fancy," in favour of an overwhelming urge to work through the difficulties in his life, it marks a significant change in Bird's music-making approach.
Bird played the new track "Capsized" for the first time in front of the television audience at Conan last night, showcasing his groovier, bluesier musical personality, backed by a full band. Check out his performance of "Capsized" in the player below. Beyond that, you can also watch the official lyric video for the same song.
The album will come as a deluxe edition that includes the bonus tracks "Shoulder Mountain" and "Pulaski." There's also a deluxe box version of the release, which contains the LP, a 7-inch with the bonus tracks and an exclusive 10-inch called Are We Not Burning? The Devolution of Capsized. You can learn more about all the versions available here and see the tracklists below.
The album serves as the first new material from Bird since his 2014 album of the Handsome Family covers, Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of. His last album of original music arrived as Hands of Glory back in 2012, which served as a companion piece to that same year's Break It Yourself.
As previously reported, Bird has a world tour coming up. You can see all the dates here.
Are You Serious:
1. Capsized
2. Roma Fade
3. Truth Lies Low
4. Puma
5. Chemical Switches
6. Left Handed Kisses
7. Are You Serious
8. Saints Preservus
9. The New Saint Jude
10. Valleys Of The Young
11. Bellevue
12 Shoulder Mountain *
13 Pulaski *
* bonus tracks on deluxe version
Are We Not Burning? The Devolution of Capsized:
1. Trimmed and Burning
2. Venetian Bedmaker
3. Dying Beds
4. Jackson Bedmaker
5. Capsized – Sound City Version