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Tune in to the XPN Morning Show each Monday to hear, Host, Mike Vasilikos, review XPN's Featured Album of the Week. This week's album is....

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha (Fat Possum)

With his new album Armchair Apocrypha, Andrew Bird has delivered one of the most beautiful, challenging and diverse records we've heard in a very long time.

The Chicago native's 10th album is full of absolutely brilliant lyrics and understated - but very effective - instrumentation. Throughout his previous albums, Bird has shown that he posseses a keen ear for fine pop melodies, and that capability is very much in evidence here. When you combine that quality with an artist that sees (and hears) things a bit differently than most others, the results can be exceptional.

Bird's trusty violin is in evidence here (as is his beloved whistling), but the standard guitar/drums/bass of the traditional rock song is employed much more on Armchair. No complaints, however... anybody who can craft a tune like Bird could get by with anything, I suspect. Get ready for an album that will catch you right away, and sound better each time you put it on. Very, very well done...

Written by Dan Reed

Click here to see the complete list of WXPN Featured Albums.