Country : United States Label : Loma Vista Genres and styles : Chamber Pop / Folk Rock / Indie Folk Year : 2022

Andrew Bird – Inside Problems

· by Varun Swarup

Listening to Andrew Bird’s latest release, Inside Problems, I’m reminded of Bob Dylan’s seminal 1975 album Blood on The Tracks. Not necessarily because they sound much alike, but because both albums signify something exceptional in each artist’s career, capturing their makers at their most intimate, accessible, and introspective. Quite tellingly, both albums feature stylized self-portraits as their cover art. 

While Dylan’s introspection was incited by the demise of his long-term relationship, Bird’s self-reflection is more existential. The opening number, “Underlands,” boldly proclaims “the stars don’t owe you anything,” setting the tone for much of what is to follow. Bird presents us here with a collection of 11 songs united by an undercurrent of existential malaise that is gracefully explored in a chamber pop soundscape. 

Recorded live with a four-piece band, the album sounds tight with smart, economic arrangements that showcase Andrew Bird’s prodigious writing and musical ability. Elements in the production harken back to the 1970s and it is exciting to hear Bird revisit this more soulful, jazzy sort of palette as he did in My Finest Work Yet. It is still plenty bluesy and folky and Bird’s affinity for classical music is as apparent as ever, a Beethoven motif is made clever use of in the song “Atomized.” In fact, Bird’s violin playing is a great strength of this record, especially on “Eight”, and its use is nuanced enough that it always feels indispensable when it is featured. 

While there is nothing especially remarkable on display, Inside Problems still feels like a significant record for Andrew Bird. As a veteran artist at this point, Bird relaxes into a groove that simply works and this record is a welcome addition to his discography. Still, I would have hoped for something a little more cohesive, the presentation of the songs could have been better curated in service of a broader musical narrative. Nevertheless, for those unfamiliar with the rest of Bird’s oeuvre— he has been making music consistently since 1996—this would be a great foray into his idiosyncratic world. 

When Blood on the Tracks was first released, the reception was lukewarm but it soon came to be heralded as one of Dylan’s masterworks and I expect the same could one day be said of Inside Problems. 

Latest 360 Content

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Sparks – MAD!

Sparks – MAD!

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Cazzu – Latinaje

Cazzu – Latinaje

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Subscribe to our newsletter