Since 2012, Sam Sodomsky has quietly released lyrically elegant, musically sophisticated albums under the moniker The Bird Calls. His Bandcamp page has nearly three dozen releases, including singles, EPs, and full-length albums. If his latest record, Take Leave, is any indication, he’s not slowing down and is making his best music yet.
Performed by Sodomsky and longtime collaborator Ryan Weiner, the songs on Take Leave are not only a culmination of this duo’s musical bona fides; they’re also all written by Sodomsky and take the listener on a journey informed by his vast musical tastes. In addition to his prolific recorded output, Sodomsky is also a veteran music journalist, and his songs (as well as the eclectic arrangements) carry the well-worn veneer of someone with a killer record collection, tapped into various sources of inspiration.
Sodomsky’s love of the songs of Bruce Springsteen is well-documented, although it’s important to note that while the Boss is clearly represented from time to time on Take Leave, there’s so much more to take in merely on a stylistic level. A casual stroll through the first three songs bears that out. “Some Bands” is fueled by acoustic and pedal steel guitars with a simple country feel that recalls classic Gram Parsons. “Means More Now” packs a power-pop punch with production cues lifted from vintage Phil Spector. The laid-back soft country rock of “To Everything There Is a Ceiling” has the loping feel of Neil Young circa Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.
However, Sodomsky isn’t just blindly genre-hopping here. While they may stylistically zigzag with the mirth of a well-heeled music historian, the songs themselves are as artfully crafted as anything he’s ever done. There’s a sort of Bob Dylan-esque majesty to the lyrics of “Shadow Song”, which seems to examine the complex emotional baggage of relationships with deep eloquence: “If you must take the role I was born for,” he sings in the chorus, aided by unspeakably beautiful harmonies from Sofia Wolfson, “At least play it the best that you can / While I’m waiting to wake up / Taking the dog out / Losing my shadow again.”
While layered pop/folk musical sensibilities bolster the feeling of loneliness on the luminous “Sunny,” the upbeat “Acid Mermaid” pairs the winsomeness of late-period Wilco with declarations of unconditional love. “I was crying with my earplugs in the bandshell,” he sings. “You were laughing with the indie rock kids / And I love you through thick and thin / Whichever one this is.” It should be noted that while traces of Wilco certainly reside within the grooves of Take Leave, it wouldn’t be far off the mark to look at the album as a sort of microcosm of Twilight Override, Jeff Tweedy’s behemoth triple album from 2025, both in stylistic sprawl and deep musical and emotional honesty.
“Now ever since you left,” Sodomsky sings over the title track, “I’ve been working the early shift / Gliding through the dew / Feel so close to you / Paving over rubble / May we stay this young forever / And may we be at peace.” Take Leave is an album about love, loss, resolve, the glimmer of optimism, and moving on without regret or resentment. Under the name the Bird Calls, Sam Sodomsky has crafted yet another album that combines sterling songwriting with exquisite musical arrangements. It’s his best work yet, and he appears to be far from finished.