Riding the critical accolades heaped on 2005's "Mysterious Production of Eggs," Andrew Bird [ tickets ] returns this week with his Fat Possum debut, "Armchair Apocrypha." Continuing where "Mysterious Production" left off, "Apocrypha" again finds Bird crafting intricate, yet economical, pop songs, all averaging around the four-minute mark.

As interesting and accomplished a lyricist as he is a composer, Bird constructs stories within his songs that rival the expansive, multi-instrumental sound he's developed over the course of his 10-album catalog. Beginning the album with the electric-guitar/Wurlitzer-infused "Fiery Crash," the listener is immediately pulled into Bird's world as layer upon layer begin to take hold and drive the narrative.

"Armchair Apocrypha" continues to reveal itself throughout the course of the album, slipping in and out of standard, indie-pop-laden territory into progressive, nuanced atmospherics that, at times, blend several genres together. As a whole "Apcrypha" comes off as Bird's most accomplished work to date, even eclipsing the fantastic "Mysterious Production of Eggs" in terms of overall quality and lasting durability.