Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird was one of the earlier pioneers of modern chamber pop. Growing up in Chicago, Bird — a classical violinist in training at age four — worked with alterna-swing band Squirrel Nut Zippers before firmly establishing a name for himself as a songwriter far beyond the Windy City with the release of his 1997 album Thrills. Since then, Bird has slowly but steadily explored various musical styles and eras, adopting ideas and creating a body of work that’s had a clear impact on anyone who makes pop music that fuses classical instruments and older musical styles with a modern sensibility. Bird’s latest offering, 2012’s Break It Yourself, is not a marked departure for the multi-instrumentalist, but it does show him further incorporating electronic music into his constantly evolving aesthetic.