Break It Yourself

Break It Yourself
Studio album by
Andrew Bird
ReleasedMarch 5, 2012
Genre
Length60:20
LabelMom + Pop (US)
Bella Union (UK)
ProducerAndrew Bird, David Boucher
Andrew Bird chronology
Fingerlings 4
(2010) 		Break It Yourself
(2012) 		Hands of Glory
(2012)
Singles from Break it Yourself
  1. "Eyeoneye"

Break It Yourself is the sixth solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter Andrew Bird, released on March 5, 2012, through Mom+Pop records in the US and Bella Union in the UK.[1] The track "Lusitania" features a duet with St. Vincent.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The A.V. Club(A-)[5]
The Guardian[6]
Pitchfork(7.5/10)[7]
PopMatters(5/10)[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Beats Per Minute(79%)[10]

The album was well received by critics: according to Metacritic, the album has received an average review score of 80/100, based on 33 reviews.[3]

The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 10, which is Bird's first top 10 entry in the chart, selling 30,000 copies in the first week.[11]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Desperation Breeds..." 5:30
2."Polynation" 0:45
3."Danse Caribe" 5:19
4."Give It Away" 4:31
5."Eyeoneye" 4:07
6."Lazy Projector" 4:59
7."Near Death Experience Experience" 4:29
8."Behind the Barn" 1:04
9."Lusitania"Bird, Annie Clark4:04
10."Orpheo Looks Back" 4:55
11."Sifters"Bird, Sharon Lanza4:13
12."Fatal Shore" 5:06
13."Hole in the Ocean Floor" 8:18
14."Belles" 3:00

Other appearances

  • Instrumental versions of "Danse Caribe" and "Eyeoneye" appear on Fingerlings 4. They are titled "Danse Carribe" and "Oh Baltimore" respectively
  • A slower version of "Orpheo Looks Back" (called "Orpheo") appears on Hands of Glory

Personnel

Band

  • Andrew Bird – violin, guitar, vocals, whistling
  • Martin Dosh – drums
  • Jeremy Ylvisaker – guitar, keyboards, background vocals
  • Mike Lewis – bass, tenor saxophone, background vocals

Additional musicians

  • J. T. Bates – drums on "Danse Caribe"
  • Annie Clark (St. Vincent) – vocals on "Lusitania", courtesy of 4AD
  • Nora O'Connor - vocal harmonies on "Give It Away", "Lazy Projector", "Near Death Experience Experience", "Fatal Shore"
  • Simone White – vocal harmony on "Desperation Breeds"
  • Wendy Lewis – cooking, moral support

Charts

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 84
French Albums (SNEP)[13] 137
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] 79
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[15] 63
UK Albums (OCC)[16] 100
US Billboard 200[17] 10
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[18] 1
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[19] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[20] 3
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[21] 3
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[22] 2

References

  1. ^ "Andrew Bird | Bella Union".
  2. ^ "Andrew Bird: Break It Yourself". Pitchfork.
  3. ^ a b "Break It Yourself - Andrew Bird". metacritic.com. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  4. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Andrew Bird: Break It Yourself Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  5. ^ "Andrew Bird: Break It Yourself". The A.V. Club. March 7, 2012.
  6. ^ Maddy Costa (March 1, 2012). "Andrew Bird: Break It Yourself-Review". The Guardian. London.
  7. ^ Joe Tangari. "Andrew Bird: Break It Yourself". Pitchfork.
  8. ^ Matthew Fiander. "Andrew Bird: Break It Yourself".
  9. ^ Jon Dolan (March 6, 2012). "Break It Yourself – Album Review". Rolling Stone.
  10. ^ Ray Finlayson (March 6, 2012). "Break It Yourself – Album Review".
  11. ^ Grein, Paul (March 14, 2012). "Week Ending March 11, 2012. Albums: Bruce And Elvis". Chart Watch. Yahoo!.
  12. ^ "Ultratop.be – Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  13. ^ "Lescharts.com – Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself". Hung Medien.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  15. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself". Hung Medien.
  16. ^ "Andrew Bird | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  17. ^ "Andrew Bird Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  18. ^ "Andrew Bird Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard.
  19. ^ "Andrew Bird Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
  20. ^ "Andrew Bird Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  21. ^ "Andrew Bird Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
  22. ^ "Andrew Bird Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard.


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