The Swimming Hour

The Swimming Hour cover $25.00 Out of Stock
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Andrew Bird's Bowl Of Fire
The Swimming Hour

[ Rykodisc / CD ]

Release Date: Monday 28 June 2010

This item is currently out of stock. It may take 6 or more weeks to obtain from when you place your order as this is a specialist product.

Listening to Swimming Hour is like taking a walking tour through 20th century musical history. Andrew Bird, a major contributor to nouveau-swing band the Squirrel Nut Zippers, mixes numerous styles and genres such as classical, Latin, and gypsy music, among others. The song "Why" feels like a jazz song from a 1950s film noir soundtrack, and "Satisfied" blends gospel with straight-ahead rock & roll. Also impressive is Bird's cover versions of the Mississippi Sheiks' "Too Long" and Nelstone's Hawaiians' "Fatal Flower Garden," a reworked rendition of an old Irish ballad. The vast array of musical styles are united by Bird's haunting vocals as well as lyrics that are both thoughtful and whimsical. While Swimming Hour is clearly an album obsessed with musical history, Bird manages to mix in enough of his own unique style to prevent the album from feeling like a musty old museum piece. ~ Jon Azpiri, All Music Guide

Tracks:

1 Two Way Action - 4:43
2 Core and Rind - 3:02
3 Why? - 3:31
4 11:11 - 3:34
5 Case in Point - 4:49
6 Too Long - 2:33
7 Way Out West - 4:06
8 Waiting to Talk - 4:13
9 Fatal Flower Garden - 4:43
10 Satisfied - 3:17
11 Headsoak - 3:53
12 How Indiscreet - 4:34
13 Dear Old Greenland - 3:30