Rating: 
Local Austinite Andrew Kenny made waves long ago as the leader of American Analog Set; he returns to Austin after a lengthy absence with a new band in tow, The Wooden Birds. While you immediately recall his vocal styling, the music definitely takes a different approach on the band’s first proper album, Magnolia.
Musically, this album comes directly at you. There are no waves of distortion or ambient sounds; this is an album comprised very simply of guitar, vocals and percussion. Kenny’s gentle guitar plucking will bring to mind some comparisons to Iron and Wine, though Andrew’s been at it longer, so we should give him credit there (not that it’s a competition).
While the approach may be very simple in it’s delivery, you can tell that in the writing process Andrew spent a great amount of time fleshing out the melodies that would accompany the softness of the music he composed. His voice, at times, seems oddly similar to that of Ben Gibbard, especially when he takes on that bedroom-quiet whisper.
Oddly, a lot of the songs do seem to play off the same set of standards, with only the slightest of variations. For instance, “Quit You Once” and “Never Know” open in precisely the same way, which also appears to happen with “Hailey” and “Hometown Fantasy.” Despite the lack of change in much of the album, you still take interest in how the songs develop individually; this is all due to the abilities of Andrew as a songwriter.
From start to finish the album is carefully and quietly written. It’s the type of album that draws you in with its approach to the craft of the song, and such talent allows listeners to look beyond the similarities that might otherwise render the album dull and boring. Luckily, Mr. Kenny has been at this long enough to know precisely how to rise above such issues, and his success is just another reason why he is regarded with such respect among the musical elite (as you could witness by his recent performance with Broken Social Scene at Bass Concert Hall). Sure, the quietude of this album may not be your precise cup of tea, but it’s great to have one of our local boys back composing such softly wonderful music.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/04-hailey.mp3]
Download: The Wooden Birds – Hailey [MP3]
After our Eulogies/Dears huge prize package just wrapped up, we’ve got another contest for all you ATH readers out there. This time one lucky fan will win a couple of guest list spots to the upcoming Thermals show at Mohawk on May 22nd. All you have to do is a leave a comment about what’s on your mind OR hit us up on Twitter and mention the contest in your @. We’ll run this one until Wednesday of next week (5/20). Don’t forget to leave a valid email address so we can get in touch with you. While you’re at it, read our review of the band’s new album or check out an interview we did with The Thermals during SXSW.
