Thomas Dollbaum’s Birds of Paradise gives the weekend a crooked Americana detour

Thomas Dollbaum’s Birds of Paradise continues to stand out as a strong weekend discovery after its recent Pitchfork review. Dollbaum’s music lives in a rough-edged space between Americana, heartland rock and indie storytelling, with a voice and writing style that seem more interested in atmosphere than neatly explained narrative.

The record expands his world with a fuller band presence, including MJ Lenderman on drums, guitar and vocals, and it gives his songs more movement without sanding down their strange personality. What makes Birds of Paradise useful for a 24 May digest is that it offers something more human and irregular than the polished parts of the release calendar.

Dollbaum’s writing feels like it comes from rooms, roads, relationships and half-remembered scenes rather than from clean concept statements. Songs such as King’s Landing, Visitation, Dozen Roses, Coyote and Blue Meets Blue suggest an artist following emotional traces rather than obvious hooks. In a weekend full of high-profile names and conceptual records, Birds of Paradise is the kind of album that keeps indie coverage grounded: a crooked, searching guitar record with dirt under its nails. Source: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/thomas-dollbaum-birds-of-paradise