Tom Lynch

Chicago hero Andrew Bird's newest record, "Armchair Apocrypha," takes the fiddle-wielding artist into a quieter, more subdued realm, and is one of the best local releases of the year so far. Bird eases up on the violin and whistling--don't worry, some of it's still there--and depends more on guitar and even electronic programming, compliments of Martin Dosh. Songs like "Heretics" and "Plasticities" stand out as two of the most precise, indie-rock-influenced he's penned, and opener "Fiery Crash" sets the tone gracefully. Later, "Scythian Empires" and "Dark Matter" prove why so many have fallen for Bird's work already--two near-perfect molds that sound stronger and stronger the more you listen. "Yawny at the Apocalypse," the record's closing, instrumental wave goodbye, creates a lush, violin-based landscape, exhausting and exhilarating at once, a sleeping pill and an adrenaline shot. It's beautiful.

Andrew Bird plays April 20 at the Riviera Theatre, 4746 North Racine, (773)275-6800, at 8pm. $22.50 (2007-04-17)

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