The Microphones - Little Bird Flies Into A Big Black Cloud

All Music Guide

Little Bird Flies into a Big Black Cloud was the second vinyl-only release from the Microphones issued on the St. Ives label in 2002. It was limited to a scant few hundred copies and all the covers -- hand-painted by Phil Elvrum -- are different from one another. The lyrics for Little Bird were written during a Microphones European tour in 2001 and were first issued as a limited-edition book. Elvrum eventually added piano and organ accompaniment to the lyrics for this "album version," recording it in less than an hour "pretty much straight through" (as he writes in the liner notes) with no overdubs or edits. The words are a grab bag of philosophical musings and cosmological wanderings. Microphones albums all have an intimate quality, as if they were made especially for you, but maybe none so much as Little Bird. It's a window into Elvrum's writing process, similar to how Blood (the first half at least) gave a glimpse into his collage technique. But, interesting as it is, Little Bird is... probably a little too intimate and rough for all but the most dedicated fans. - Jason Nickey, All Music Guide Read more Less