Ben Vida
's solo project
Bird Show
has slowly taken on a life of its own, showing that far from "just" being a spin-off of
Town and Country
he easily rivals -- if not heads to greater heights -- the band which most helped make his name. On the self-titled third album, he and four collaborators create an often rich sound which never lacks for any fun at the same time -- while he's ultimately working within a familiar path of electronic avant-garde pop experimentation that's more 1960s and after, it's art music as playful energy charge, something which
Raymond Scott
would have approved of from across the decades. Though perhaps a better comparison would be mid-'70s
Brian Eno
, as the opening
"Two Organs and Dumbek"
-- like most of the rest of the album, named after the primary instruments used -- readily showcases, a space-pop mood out that sparkles sweetly. It sets the tone without predicting the rest of the album, which ranges from the minimal zone of
"Percussion and Voice"
to the
Martin Denny
percussion nods on
"BRDDRMS,"
a merry bit of sonic tourism on many levels. More recent roots in bedroom experimentalists can be heard as well on
"Mbira, Harp and Voice,"
which has the rough-edged feeling of an inspired single-take field recording, and
"Green Vines,"
which -- almost -- suggests the more compelling drone moments of work by
Panda Bear
. The drowsy singalong harmonies of
"Clouds and Their Shadows"
and the quietly sung
"Wood Flute, Berimbau, Mbira and Voice"
further ground the album in vocals as much as the music, but overall on
Vida
serves up an instrumental delight, evocative of a past that never quite was but should still have been. ~ Ned Raggett