Regardless of how you feel about Ani DiFranco’s music, credit must be given to the singer/songwriter for making her Righteous Babe label a haven for gifted, relatively unknown artists. DiFranco made one of her wisest decisions by releasing Weather Systems, the fourth and best solo record from the breathtakingly talented violinist Andrew Bird. From the opening strains of “First Song,” it’s clear that the Chicago-based artist’s new material is light years ahead of his early swing-based efforts. The album’s nine tracks swim through the ear canals with soft magnificence, blending Bird’s bowing and plucking with otherworldly whistles and tinkling glockenspiel runs. Weather Systems is certainly an appropriate title, as the record begs to be played on a rainy day, but it’s unlike the symphonic interpretations of weather we’re used to – this is a depiction of a thunderless, soothing storm, the kind that provides the soundtrack to a glorious afternoon nap. While every song on Weather Systems is of equal importance to its overall complexion, the brightest spot is the title track: a pared-down, soulful ballad that invokes the stark spirituality of Sting’s best songwriting. The album shifts between these spectacular, full-blown compositions and precious instrumental vignettes, resulting in a superb offering of natural, understated beauty. For all of its potential, Weather Systems is still likely to join the ranks of incredible albums like Kurt Swinghammer’s Vostok 6 and Drums & Tuba’s Mostly Ape: obscure Righteous Babe releases that make Ani fans scratch their heads, while the rest of us sit back and enjoy.
Appeared in the June 12, 2003, issue of Artvoice.