Them Bird Things - Fly, Them Bird Things, Fly! (2009)

This is one of the most random albums I own. When I had lived in London for a while, I felt like I didn't know at all what was happening in the music scene in Finland anymore. So, I tried to keep up by doing a bit of research online and Them Bird Things was one of the bands that caught my eye. I ended up buying quite a few CDs I could find second hand when visiting Finland, this among them, to keep up with Finnish music as well. I have to admit that I have hardly listened to this album since I bought it. I kind of do like the sound, but it's not an album I would often choose. Them Bird Things plays indie rock that has influences from 60s style surf rock. In a way, you can recognise the Helsinki sound in the album. I can't quite put my finger on what exactly it is that makes up the Helsinki sound, but there were quite a few indie albums like this released there towards the end of the 00s.
The vocals on the album are really strange. The lead singer kind of sounds like she's singing in a weird nasal falsetto all the time. It somehow doesn't sound like the voice is coming out naturally, but then again, it does make for a personal style. The songwriting is quite innovative with interesting acoustic and electric guitars breaking rhythms in fun ways. The songs aren't necessarily that catchy, which overall makes the album a bit boring, but when focusing on the sounds and riffs, there's much more to grasp.

The album begins with the song Like a Fire, which has the most clear references to 60s surf rock right from the drum beats to the sharp electric guitars. Blood Bank has much fresher clear sounds. This sounds like music that would be fun to listen to at a park festival in the summer while sitting on the grass, drinking beer. In Hudson Falling, you can really hear that the band is Finnish. The accent is quite clear in this one. I do like the chorus. Blue Parakeet slows things down a bit into a bossa nova beat. Both the acoustic and electric guitars are quite masterfully played. This is much more about the guitars than the vocal melody. Dreaming the Dream is built upon a looping bass line that reminds me of some earlier Yo La Tengo songs. This reference makes me think that Them Bird Things would have more potential if they embraced the more experimental approach to their songs. I Can See Russia from Here has a nice bluesy feel and the vocals, perhaps for the first time on the album, show a bit of edge. Shame, Shame, Shame, Shame, Shame goes towards a more typical indie rock sound, while also really embracing 60s style garage rock. Copper Bells has a nice rolling rhythm that carries the simple song quite effortlessly. Your Baby's Not Your Baby Anymore starts with what sounds like a bunch of fog horns. Then the synths and jungle drums come in paving the way for acoustic guitars. Unfortunately the song progresses to a much more boring direction after that, but the chords are quite interesting. Black Petals is a more typical acoustic song that combines strumming and picking quite nicely. Pockets of Rain has a nice fuller sound. I think this is probably one of the best songs on the album. The album ends with Tomorrow, which sounds a bit like 70s Neil Young.

There is a music video for Like a Fire. It's one of those music videos many bands make early in their career, where the band is playing live in black and white and nothing much happens, but at least you get a sense of how the band is live. I'm not sure if I ever saw this band live. I think I might've, but it wasn't a very memorable event.

This is the band's debut album. I haven't really listened to the other albums, but now that I quickly tried some songs from the later albums, it seems that their sound has grown over the years, which I think is quite a good thing. I think this band has potential, but on the debut album, it's still quite clear that they haven't fully found their own sound. 

Listen to the album on Spotify.