Andrew Bird
I Want to See Pulaski at Night
Grimsey

"The phrase 'Pulaski at Night' first appeared in Andrew Bird's music 15 years ago, back on his debut album Thrills (with his now disbanded Bowl of Fire band). It appeared on the chirpy, washboard-led "Cock o' the Walk", a track fairly (but not completely) detached from Bird's current style and even more separated from the song where the phrase makes it returns into Bird's consciousness." (Beatsperminute)

Andrew Bird's mini album/EP I Want to See Pulaski at Night saw the light of day when it was released some months ago, back in November of last year.But, since we're heavy into Bird-land here at Luna K HQ, it's never too late to give a record a spin. We were late with Bird's last platter as well, Hands of Glory.

According to wikipedia there are Pulaski's all over the US:
"The pulaski is a special hand tool used in wildland firefighting. The tool combines an axe and an adze in one head, similar to that of the cutter mattock, with a rigid handle of wood, plastic, or fiberglass." No, checked, crossed ut. Further...

Then: Municipalities in the United States
- Pulaski, Georgia
- Pulaski, Illinois, a town
- Pulaski, Iowa
- Pulaski, Mississippi
- Pulaski, New York
- Pulaski, Tennessee
- Pulaski, Virginia
- Pulaski, Wisconsin, a village
- Pulaski, Iowa County, Wisconsin, a town
- Mount Pulaski, Illinois
And/or: American infrastructure and landmarks
- Pulaski Park (disambiguation), multiple locations - Pulaski Bridge, New York City
- General Pulaski Skyway, New Jersey
- Pulaski Highway, from Baltimore, Maryland, to near New Castle, Delaware (U.S. Route 40 in Maryland and in Delaware)
- Pulaski Road (Chicago), Illinois
- Pulaski Road, County Route 11 (Suffolk County, New York)
- Fort Pulaski, on Cockspur Island, Georgia
- Pulaski Technical College, Arkansas
- Casimir Pulaski Monument in Savannah
Well, since Bird is an Illinoisan, I guess we can focus on either Mount Pulaski, the town Pulaski, or Pulaski Road (Chicago), Illinois. Right, but when checking, googling Logan's Loop (one of the songs), I find something named 'prospect lake logan loop' near Pulaski, TN... Well, whatever. A coincidence, I guess. Maybe it's simply an ode to his hometown Chicago. The celebration or warm feeling of a homecoming: 'Greetings from Chicago, city of, city of light,' Come back to Chicago, City of, City of light, Come back to Chicago. ("Pulaski at Night").

It's maybe moreover Andrew Bird catching some tour, or traveling vibe, from his many crossings of the US (and Europe as well). I Want to See Pulaski at Night is the sound of motion, of restlessness. It's a collection of night-time music. The 32 minutes of music are mainly instrumental tracks: "Ethio Invention no. 1" and "Ethio Invention no. 2", "Hover I" and "Hover II", plus "Lit from Underneath" and the aforementioned "Logan's Loop". Only the 'title track' "Pulaski at Night" is a more conventional song, with lyrics - verse-chorus-verse style. Almost being like a 'love song', about starting over again, or taking it from the top. From scratch, with blank sheets: "Come back to Chicago, We're starting over".

As an 'album' I Want to See Pulaski at Night is sort of a side-track in Bird's discography. It's showing Bird the composer, over Bird the singer-songwriter. ...Pulaski is a collection of night music for sure. Some soundtrack, maybe, for losing tension, finding relaxation. For freeing moods, mind, spirit, and soul. Rest. Sleep. Fade.

Copyright © 2014 Håvard Oppøyen