Andrew Bird, Suzanne Vega blog for New York Times

Perhaps the finest part of listening to Andrew Bird is pondering exactly how he got those words to fit together in that way and on top of such whistling. But buckle up, dear reader, because the confounding melodies and mysteries of Andrew Bird have finally been explained!

Or at least an attempt has been made, and by Bird himself. Turns out, he really is on a whole different level than everyone else.

We have The New York Times’ new blog, Measure for Measure, to thank for this insight. The blog, Bird’s entry marking its beginning, will give four master songwriters a chance to explain the finer points of their craft to non-musicians and fellow peers alike. Bird, of course, is one, along with Nashville-based songwriter Darrell Brown, Rosanne Cash and Suzanne Vega.

The blog aims to remind music listeners and lovers that, even in an era where many songs are consumed instantaneously and digitally, music itself is “not born whole, polished and ready to play.” Songwriting, it argues, is a work in constant progress, one that requires skill and innate talent.

Goal achieved: As Bird describes how the word salsify catches his eye on a café menu, shapeshifts in his imagination and eventually becomes a lyric about sociopaths, you can’t help but develop even more respect for Bird than you had before.

MP3: Andrew Bird – “Heretics”

Related links:
Andrew Bird’s alter-ego
Review: Andrew Bird’s Armchair Apocrypha
Feature: Rosanne’s Rules

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