Consider the Birds

Consider the Birds is the third studio album by Wovenhand, released in 2004. While still largely David Eugene Edwards' solo project at the time, this record saw drummer Ordy Garrison playing an expanded role, hinting at the band to come on later albums.

Reception
Consider the Birds received mostly positive reviews upon its release.

AllMusic's Gregory McIntosh wrote, "It is a testament to [David Eugene] Edwards' vision that over the course of its 40 minutes, Consider the Birds never feels schizophrenic, since the album constantly flirts with an unfocused recklessness." He went on to say that the record "...once again affirms, no matter how emotional and extended he might be, Edwards never seems to be toting an empty heart." Jane Oriel of Drowned in Sound called the album "powerful stuff," praising it as "awesome music from a brilliant musician and performer." Pitchfork's Brandon Stosuy regarded the album as Edwards' "strongest solo effort," saying it "eternally eclipses his output with his proper band, 16 Horsepower." Michael Metivier at PopMatters praised Edwards' instrumentation, saying it's "tough to distinguish between the full-band workouts like 'Bleary Eyed Duty' (featuring the sturdy, able trio of Ordy Garrison, Daniel McMahon, and Shane Trost) and the propulsive 'Off the Cuff'. They sound equally driven." The review named "Chest of Drawers" as perhaps the best song Edwards had written at the time.

Chet Betz from Coke Machine Glow wrote that the record marked an "interesting, if not altogether delightful" development of Wovenhand, noting that "the songs are simply not as distinct or hook-laden as the more minimal craft of Woven Hand." However, the review cited "Chest of Drawers" as the standout track "because its flowing guitar line remains fairly bare, giving Edwards space and time..." Tiny Mix Tapes applauded the instrumentation of the record, but was highly critical of the Christian lyricism, and even gave the album a score of 1 out of 5 because of it, saying, "It may be rough to give the music and the vocals fairly good marks while giving the album on the whole a bad review merely based on the message, but that's just how she goes."

Track listing
All songs written and composed by David Eugene Edwards, except where noted.