I first encountered Andrew Bird my sophomore year of high school, and I was completely shocked by what I was listening to. His music style was something I had never heard before, and the orchestral folk sound combined with his vocals made me an instant fan. My friend then explained to me that Bird records all of his music spontaneously and creates each song as he goes. This rare type of recording style shows in his multi-layered tracks, in which each song sounds like a three movement, orchestral piece. While his vocals and whistling are pleasant to the ears, it is clear that Bird puts the majority of his focus on the instrumental music itself. Having this prior knowledge, I was not surprised when I discovered that his new EP, “I Want to See Pulaski at Night,” was almost completely instrumental.

MOSTLY INSTRUMENTAL TRACKS

The main single off the EP is the title track, “Pulaski at Night.” This is the only track to feature vocals and it is absolutely fantastic. If you are a fan of Bird, you are undoubtedly going to love this track because he sticks to his old sound while subtly creating a unique freshness. His melancholic vocals sing about his favorite city, Chicago, and the famous guitar plucking and violins are all back.

In the past, Bird has been known for his confusing lyrics and unexplained verses, but this song is arguably his most straightforward lyrically. With repeatedly begging lyrics like “Come back to Chicago/ City of Love/ Come back to Chicago,” you can’t help but feel involved with his tragic personal wants and needs. In short, it is one of the most touching songs I’ve heard in quite a long time.

This EP is only seven tracks long, and six of them are instrumental. While I am a huge fan of instrumental music, I could not help but want more from Bird. Maybe it was because I loved the title track a little too much, or maybe I just missed his vocals, but I felt a little underwhelmed by the rest of the album.

"EACH PIECE HAS ITS MOMENT OF BRILLIANCE"

The instrumental pieces could easily be used as a soundtrack for a movie, or even just background noise for studying, but all six of them feel incomplete and do not stand alone. While I do not think that the tracks are unmotivated, it is clear that the music is lacking without his vocals. I can appreciate the effort and detail he puts into his music, but his lyrics and vocals are the final ingredient to his perfect recipe.

All of this being said, there is truly not a single bad track on this album. Each piece has its moment of brilliance, and they are all very pleasant to listen to. The issue is that if you are going to release an instrumental album, you need to be ambitious and go out on a limb with your music. Unfortunately, Bird falls slightly flat, and the instrumentals become repetitive and monotonous. However, the title track is one of the best constructed pieces he has ever written, and it gives me faith for his future work.