The recordings of violinist and songwriter Andrew Bird are most often manicured and exacting, a peculiar notion when you consider the styles he blends together. Melding fiddle tunes that emerge from the confluence of Celtic music and American old time with chamber orchestra complexity, his presents an incredibly open-minded approach to folk.
Break It Yourself, Bird's latest LP, finally pairs his stylistic freedom with loose and lively production that allows his songs to blossom. Eschewing a normal studio environment, Bird invited his band out to his barn and ran through new songs after minimal rehearsals. “I think we got a rough, un-fussy honesty in this session,” Bird says of the recording process in an interview posted to his website, “a mix of distilled, grounded songs and some wild soloing.”
He's exactly right, and that's what makes Break It Yourself one of his best efforts to date — a potent endorsement for his acclaimed live performances. Here We Go Magic opens the 8 p.m. show on Monday, Oct. 1. Tickets are $28 to $32. theorangepeel.net — Jordan Lawrence
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