Watching birds in the springtime. Plants begin to bud, landscapes are full of anticipation, trees bend and creak in the morning sun. The Wooden Birds like these kinds of close-ups. The percussive aspect, the reduced and at the same time concentrated rhythms, is the central motif of Andrew Kenny's new musical venture, aside from his warm and very close voice, of course. The latter is already well-known from the albums he wrote with mellow indie favorites The American Analog Set, and the split EP »Home«, released together with Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) on Morr Music in 2006. Andrew Kenny has also performed as a guest artist with The Album Leaf, Her Space Holiday, Styrofoam, Ola Podrida, Arthur & Yu, and most recently the Broken Social Scene.
As with AmAnSet, Andrew Kenny's stories have become intimate once more. After nearly six years in Brooklyn, NY, Andrew Kenny has returned to his hometown, beautiful Austin, TX. Recollection and reduction – »Magnolia« is an album in its most direct and never affected state. Between Andrew Kenny and these recordings, there is little more space than for a carefully positioned microphone. The pauses between the sounds are as important as the sounds themselves. Intimacy is after all one of the basic motifs of The Wooden Birds. At the same time the songs tell that it is not that easy with love. »Believe in Love« it goes whispering as well as imploringly.
The Wooden Birds also includes Ola Podrida songwriter and David Gordon Green film score composer, David Wingo, along with co-producer, Chris Michaels. Vocalist, guitarist, and AmAnSet guest artist, Leslie Sisson, and Lymbyc System drummer, Michael Bell, round out the line-up.
