Back in February, Andrew Bird joined the prestigious lineup at this year’s TED conference for a 20-minute talk and 3-song performance, in which he demonstrated the use of recorded loops to build a live arrangement before connecting the subject of audio feedback to broader ecological issues. Unveiling a new, “half-finished” tune, Bird described how he used the concept of feedback (“the sound of self-destruction”) to “imagine a person who’s been so successful at defending themselves from heartbreak that they’re left to do the deed themselves, if that’s possible.”
Watch Bird’s performance, which also includes older songs “The Happy Birthday Song” and “Weather Systems,” above.