For the Birds (Reissue)

VINYL FORMAT. Comes with a digital download; available for the first time on vinyl in the US! Call it the miracle of evolution if you want. By accident or design, The Frames have always done what they wanted, and for every time one thing went right, three things went wrong. Formed 1991 in Dublin, Ireland by Glen Hansard, the band managed to make a name for itself throughout Europe in the 90's with their powerful live shows and the release of a handful of records on Island and ZTT. While Europe proved to be fertile ground, those records rarely received any support or worthwhile attention and distribution in the US. Regardless, the band plugged away at making records and touring, developing a respectable sized and loyal fan base. In the end they classically fell victim to the major label machinery. However apathetic their labels were to their success or failures in the states, The Frames managed to tour the US a handful of times over the years, mostly on the East Coast. These tours proved fruitful as the crowds continued to grow even though their records were widely unavailable. Finally tiring of the trials and tribulations of corporate structures, the band sought a new beginning. Realizing that so much of their good fortune was created out of their own hard work, the band decided it was time to go it alone. The initial sessions of For the Birds began in Ireland in a country house in Kerry around the Spring of 2000. For those two weeks the band enlisted the production skills of old friend and ex-dEUS man Craig Ward. Craig and the band managed to get many of the basic tracks down before heading to Chicago where they were scheduled to work with Steve Albini. A fan of the band's prior work, Steve had wanted to record the band earlier in their career but a scheduling conflict kept them from working together. Instantly the two camps hit it off. For the Birds bears witness to the band's coming of age as an instinctive and integrated playing ensemble, working in service of Glen's open heart-surgery songwriting. Veering from the warm melancholia of a Will Oldham or Nick Cave to the inspired avant-guitarde of acts like Grandaddy and Mercury Rev, For the Birds never loses sight of its original intent: being a Frames record. Even when the band stretches out with an almost alt-county feel ("Mighty Sword") or displays a fractious-type dynamic ("Santa Maria") they manage to remain true to themselves, meshing styles and genres seamlessly. Given the poor distribution of their previous records, many will be hearing The Frames for the first time. Whether that is the case or not, For the Birds is a glorious place to start or pick up where you left off, it really doesn't matter.