Mom + Pop

Andrew Bird’s new release, Hands of Glory, is meant as a companion piece to his recent album Break It Yourself. The disc collects new versions of several tracks from the album alongside covers of classic country songs like Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Needed You.” If it initially seems weird that Bird, a singer and musician known for his twee indie folk numbers, would head South, then it’s not. Bird is deeply suited to country music, his emotive croon easily adapting itself into a pensive drawl. The gently twanging renditions of his previous album cuts are lovely and compelling, but it’s really the covers that stand out, particularly this re-imagining of Van Zandt.