Hands of Glory

Released as a companion piece to 'Break It Yourself', Hands of Glory is a focused exploration of acoustic folk and old-time music. Recorded around a single Tula microphone, the album serves as a stylistic pivot from Bird's more ornate chamber pop. The tracklist is a mix of reworked originals, traditional standards, and covers of artists like Townes Van Zandt and The Handsome Family. Sonically, the album is defined by its 'dry' production and lack of electronic manipulation, emphasizing the natural timbre of the violin, upright bass, and acoustic guitar. The centerpiece is the nine-minute 'Beyond the Valley of the Three White Horses', which transforms the album's opening folk melody into a sprawling, ambient drone piece. Critics noted its departure from Bird's 'whistling-and-looping' tropes, praising the record for its warmth and the high quality of its interpretive covers. It stands as one of the most cohesive and atmospheric entries in his discography.