New York, NY (Top40 Charts) In a precarious year for festive music,
Andrew Bird has "made a Christmas album for the rest of us" (Billboard). Out today on Loma Vista Recordings, marks the singer, songwriter and Fargo actor's debut holiday full-length, building on last year's EP of the same name with a fresh collection of seasonal standards, choice covers and originals recorded during lockdown this spring and summer. On classics like "Christmas is Coming" and "Skating" he rearranges the work of
Vince Guaraldi Trio with his own freewheeling jazz quartet, and a lo-fi take on "
White Christmas" was captured while reclining on the couch. He rejuvenates "
Auld Lang Syne" as a jovial jaunt, gives new meaning to the wintertime references in John Cale's "Andalucia" and John Prine's "Souvenirs," and blends "
Greensleeves" with The Handsome Family's "So Much Wine" on "Greenwine."
Across HARK!, Andrew Bird's own songs include "Alabaster," "Night's Falling" and the COVID-inspired "Christmas in April," which he sings "with a sobering melancholy in his voice, echoing our very same anxieties and fears as the global health crisis stretches into fall and winter" (Consequence of Sound).
Watch the music video and live rendition of "Andalucia," and check out a new performance of "Christmas in April." On writing "Christmas in April" at the start of the pandemic, Bird tells Rolling Stone, "Those kinds of universally shared moments are rare in this fractured world. There's that verse where I just speak instead of singing about how messed up it is that I'm even writing it. That was pretty much recorded as I was writing it. Being at home allows you to capture some of those things in real-time."
For the first time since 2002, HARK! shows Andrew collaborating on album artwork with his mother, Beth Bird, who also designed the 12 paper bird ornaments included in the vinyl edition of the album.
Pre-order HARK! on red vinyl, out November 20th: https://found.ee/AB_HarkStore
Since first announcing HARK!,
Andrew Bird has spent the fall starring in the fourth chapter of FX limited series Fargo. As the character Thurman Smutny, viewers have seen him navigate the inherent challenges of leading an interracial family in 1950 Kansas City, whistle on-screen, sing happy birthday, and share breakout scenes with Chris Rock - watch one here.
For the past nine years, Andrew has welcomed the holidays with his annual, hometown run of "Gezelligheid" concerts at Chicago's Fourth Presbyterian Church. He'll have news to share about this season's event soon.
HARK! Track List
Andalucia
Alabaster
Greenwine
Christmas In April
Souvenirs
Oh Holy Night
Mille Cherubini in Coro
Night's Falling
Glad
Christmas is Coming
White Christmas
Skating
Auld Lang Syne
