Movie a Day Blog is a fan of Andrew Bird, an unusually eclectic musician who has perfected a distinctive style that is haunting, experimental, nakedly emotional and unlike anyone else’s in the contemporary music scene. This 2011 documentary by Xan Aranda in her debut directing effort gives Bird devotee lots of face and playing time with their idol. Bird is seen performing almost throughout the film – even when he’s being interviewed, he’s usually noodling around with an instrument or a piece of equipment. The equipment is a vital part of Bird’s creative and performance process – he uses multi-instrumental musical loops, sound designed pieces that incorporate his live violin and guitar playing and  the music produced by the other members of his band, if Andrew Bird can really be said to have a band rather than musicians he enjoys playing with. Bird can be an acquired taste, with his nasal falsetto, his self-conscious lyrics and his romantic artist persona. This is a far departure from the American Songbook belters of the Sinatra-influenced era, yet not straight on rock and roll singing either. Bird, 39, occupies some musical plane of his own, one that uses repetition and musical variation on a theme, coupled with his uncanny whistling ability and his reedy voice. Aranda’s film follows Bird on an exhausting touring cycle that alternates with a classily filmed performance at the appropriately named Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. For most of the tour, Bird suffers from a low-grade fever, leaving him alternately chilled or in sweats. It never seems to affect the high level of his dedicated performances, but it does take a terrible toll on him. It’s unusual to see a documentary that also documents the physical decline of the film’s principal subject. Bird is more ethereal the greater his pallor and wasting form, but he also seems anxious to get healthy and more productive, although that’s hard to imagine for a man who records prolifically and tours frequently. Thank God he has a rest haven at his family farm in Indiana where he can recuperate, physically and mentally recharging himself for another foray into the musical trenches. ANDREW BIRD: THE FEVER YEAR is not the best recent documentary on a musician, but it does shed welcome light on Bird’s creative drive and techniques. This kind of insight into an artist’s process is always valuable.