Break It Yourself
Mom+Pop
****
For an artist who painstakingly crafts arcane sounds into complex song structures, Andrew Bird's music really shouldn't feel this effortless. The latest solo LP from the prolific US singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist spans an entire hour, yet it seems to float by like a leaf on a warm breeze.
The major characteristics of one of his latter albums, Noble Beast, also grace this latest collection of indie-folk; yearning Appalachian strings, laid-back rhythms and a tone that constantly veers between melancholy and optimism.
Towards the beginning of the record, the upbeat numbers Danse Carribe, Give it Away and Eyeoneye show Bird almost reaching a stomp, the latter even featuring an electric guitar and evoking the likes of Bright Eyes or early REM. Things quickly settle down on the mournful Lazy Projector, a slow lament on which luscious strings veer with the singer's signature whistle. The heady Lusitania sees Bird joined by St Vincent's Annie Clark and features a beautifully restrained country vocal from the rock songstress.
Closing with the instrumental Belles – a series of ethereal chimes set against a woozy, atmospheric backdrop of strings – there isn't a single misstep to be found on the record, even if it sometimes feels a little low-stakes. Intentionally or otherwise, Break It Yourself seems more restrained than its predecessor, with nothing quite as catchy as the 2009 LP's Oh No, and nothing quite as bizarre as Not A Robot, But A Ghost, but if this more reserved album is what the future holds for Bird, then it's no bad thing.
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Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
Maestro
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder