THOMAS DOLLBAUM : BIRDS OF PARADISE

THOMAS DOLLBAUM : BIRDS OF PARADISE

Visitation
Dozen Roses
Rabbits
Coyote
Waterbird
Big Boi
Pulverize
King's Landing
Scrub Jay
Blue Meets Blue

Label : Dear Life Records

Length : 37:46

Release Date : May 22, 2026

Review (Americana Highways) : I lived in South Carolina for three years as a young-ish adult (and then in Richmond, Virginia for another eight), but I can’t say that I “get” the South – not truly. But I did grow up in rural America (Upstate New York), with a full view of have-somes and have-nots, along with a sense of “we’re never gonna get out of here.” That’s why every syllable of New Orleans-via-Florida singer-songwriter Thomas Dollbaum’s new album, Birds of Paradise, hits a nerve with me – the misadventures he describes, which all seem to spring from a forlorn sense of stuck-ness, reflect what I saw around me growing up. It grabbed me from note one, and, come December, it may very well end up being my favorite album of the year. Dollbaum’s first record, Wellswood, strongly hinted at his knack for crafting a narrative, but it was really last year’s six-song EP, Drive All Night, where his ability developed and became fully evident (check out “Whippits/Trailer Lights” for a taste). And Birds of Paradise, for all of its Southern-gothic-circa-2026 imagery, actually begins on a high, hopeful note. The short first track, “Visitation” (at 2:11, the type of introductory song I love to see at the top of a good record) is a blink of optimism – “But the older I get, the more I do magical thinking” – that may have been the type of heady confidence required to get this record into the world in the first place – shockingly, it was recorded all the way back in the fall of 2023. A kind of choogly rock kicks in on the next song, “Dozen Roses.” Dollbaum, in a voice somewhere between Alan Wilson (Canned Heat) and “Eminence Front”-era Pete Townshend, meditates on moments (and friends) lost – “When you were still around, it was the time that I remember” – and how growing up kinds sucks – “When you were a kid the whole world felt like a lonesome ocean/Closing in with every wave that seems to come your way” – when you realize how the world works. “Dozen Roses” also unwinds one hell of a guitar solo from Jake Lenderman, known to most of us as MJ. Since Birds of Paradise was recorded in 2023 – nearly a year before Manning Fireworks was released – we get the benefit of a crack backing band on the album, including Lenderman on drums and some astonishing backing vocals on tracks like “Coyote.” That fourth song on the record starts with a knock-out (and startlingly specific) opening line – “Heard the coyote howl/Looking for your cat for dinner.” The entire song hovers over an air of inevitability – “You’re ready to jump but you can’t fly away” – as though things will never change. “King’s Landing” achingly features a young Dollbaum with dreams of literally flying away – “You took me to inquire ‘bout my pilot’s license today” – before realizing the farce of his highfalutin’ fantasy, settling for watching “reruns of ‘Cops’ episodes in our hometown/I Hope we catch one where the bad guy gets away.” Despite everything noted above, Birds of Paradise is far from a depressing listen. Even if the dreams of the characters populating the songs are largely unattainable, it’s still worth dreaming, and the jangly rocker that wraps the album bears that out. “Blue Meets Blue” admittedly begins with a death – “When they told me that you died/I drove every place we lived/Thinking I sure wish I could see you.” Even if the sadness is unavoidable, though, there’s still value in a memory – “To a place that reminds me of you/Where blue meets blue.” Dollbaum’s singing a much more elegant version of “touch grass” – even when life’s at its worst, there’s still beauty in the world. Even if it requires a little magical thinking to see it. Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Coyote” – This pensive rocker, even without the presence of MJ Lenderman, would be astounding for its storytelling alone – “As you rose, you glimmered with gold before you burned out.” Devastating, but you can’t stop listening. Birds of Paradise was produced by Clay Jones and Thomas Dollbaum, engineered and mixed by Jones and mastered by Carl Saff. Songs written by Thomas Dollbaum. Musicians on the album include Dollbaum (guitar, vocals), Nick Corson (bass, drums, guitar, piano), Josh Halper (guitar, bass, percussion) and Jake Lenderman (drums, percussion, backing vocals, guitar).

Review (The Fire Note) : I would guess most people still don’t know Thomas Dollbaum has been quietly building a reputation as one of indie rock’s sharpest storytellers. The Tampa raised, New Orleans based songwriter cut these ten songs live in four days at Dial Back Sound in Mississippi with a backing band that includes Jake (MJ) Lenderman on drums and harmonies, Nick Corson on bass, and Josh Halper on guitar. This type of process for me always adds excitement for an album because I think you can hear the spark. Birds Of Paradise has just that as you can hear the looseness of guys playing in the same room without much interruption. The album lands somewhere between dusty barroom rock and plainspoken folk, with the kind of weathered twang that perfectly fits the temperature. You believe every word as Dollbaum takes you along for a front seat ride through the album’s 10 tracks. What really hooks me is how his writing finds a deeper story about the passage of time and resilience. He writes about Florida with affection for the people but no illusions about the trap they’re stuck in. On “King’s Landing” he imagines a getaway through Cops reruns, hoping the bad guy steals a small plane and flies “off to the everglades, build us a home out of water and snakes.” That’s the whole record in three lines: when there’s nothing else, survival and imagination start to look like the same thing. Like many records MJ Lenderman has touched lately, Birds Of Paradise is better for his presence. His harmonies, backing vocals and playing help elevate an already good album into something you immediately want to replay. Pivotal Tracks “Coyote” opens with a killer image, a coyote prowling the yard looking for the family cat, and rides a pensive low slung groove while Lenderman mirrors the chorus with the kind of harmony that sneaks up on you. You will want to sing along almost instantly. “Dozen Roses” is the rocker that’ll pull people in, a warm foot tapping number where Lenderman peels off a ragged guitar solo and Dollbaum drops the album’s saddest line, “When you were a kid the whole world felt like a lonesome ocean.” “Pulverize” is the dark horse single on the record, all nervous forward motion until Dollbaum is just screaming “it’s fine, it’s fine, it’s FINE” like a guy trying to convince himself. And “Rabbits” has a real Tom Petty vibe with its open-road delivery which honestly feels like the lane Dollbaum has been carving out all along. Artists with Similar Fire The MJ Lenderman comparison is unavoidable and earned, but Dollbaum is doing something a touch more literary, closer to Bill Callahan’s habit of letting a single image carry a whole song. The David Berman shadow hangs over the writing too, particularly in how Dollbaum can deliver a devastating line without raising his voice, which is why Purple Mountains fans should check this album out. Greg Freeman feels like a newer singer/songwriter peer in the way his band kicks up track after track without losing the melody. You can also go back to John Prine’s catalog or even several Jason Isbell tracks because Dollbaum has proven here that he belongs in that conversation about songwriters who treat regular people like they’re worth the camera time. Final Groove I think this is the album where Dollbaum starts being a name to know. Ten songs in, you feel like you’ve ridden shotgun across half of Florida and you’re not quite sure you want to get out of the car.

Review (Pop Goes The Weasel) : Thomas Dollbaum is a Louisiana based singer songwriter who has worked with MJ Lenderman on his sophomore album ‘Birds of Paradise.’ Like his collaborator, Dollbaum pens vivid descriptions of Middle America’s backroads and emotional fault lines. And like Lenderman, Dollbaum has a knack for gnarly Alt-Country. At this point the MJ Lenderman extended universe feels nearly as extensive as Marvel’s. If superhero fatigue is an established consequence of the comic book publisher’s dominance then surely Alt-Country fatigue is inevitable too? Not that it’s Dollbaum’s fault Lenderman has becomes so inescapable; he recorded this set of songs over three years ago, before Lenderman’s star ascended. Dollbaum has been sitting on these songs for all that time while resolving a dispute with his former label. It’s been worth the wait. While there’s nothing revelatory about what Thomas Dollbaum does, he’s very good at it. His songs are rich with sharply observed characters and settings, delivered with a wit that never feels forced. Birds of Paradise presents its themes with enough warmth, wit and craft to stand on its own merits. Dollbaum is a Poetry Graduate from The University of New Orleans and that tells mostly in the restraint of his lyricism. These are spare songs about dreams colliding with reality. The violence of our daily experience is juxtaposed with lofty ambitions. ‘Rabbits’ finds the top player in the High School team killing rabbits on the family farm the morning after a big game. ‘I don’t like to kill them but it’s either them or me.’ The protagonist of ‘Coyotes’ is drunk on a rooftop, ready to jump or fly. Down below wild animals hunt for cats for dinner. On ‘King’s Landing’ he enquires about a pilot licence before realising that the cost of obtaining one would be prohibitive. He ends up circling a retention pond because there are no sidewalks in town he can walk down. He then goes home to watch ‘cops’ reruns on TV. ‘Wish I could save us from the mundane. Wish I could take us from this town.’ Even as opportunities vanish and aspirations shrink, there remains a belief that life might somehow be larger than the world immediately in front of them. Here is despair that would be as recognisable in 1956 as 2026. There is a commonality to these tales of crushed hopes and inadequacy told in a voice that is warm and deep. Dollbaum understands that disappointment is the universal experience, and in chronicling the small defeats that accumulate over a lifetime he uncovers something quietly moving. In an overcrowded field, Thomas Dollbaum has found a way to stand out.

Review (De Krenten Uit De Pop) : De Amerikaanse muzikant Thomas Dollbaum heeft, samen met onder andere MJ Lenderman, een geweldige gitaarplaat gemaakt die op prachtige wijze een brug slaat tussen met name Americana en indierock De naam Thomas Dollbaum zal niet iedereen iets zeggen, maar ik verwacht dat dit de komende maanden absoluut gaat veranderen. Met zijn tweede album Birds of Paradise heeft de muzikant uit New Orleans immers een album gemaakt dat met een beetje geluk hoge ogen gaat gooien dit jaar. Het in een paar dagen opgenomen album klinkt lekker ruw, maar de mix van wat gruizige indierock en gloedvolle Amerikaanse rootsmuziek is ook van hoog niveau en dat geldt zeker voor de stem van Thomas Dollbaum. Dat MJ Lenderman een handje heeft geholpen, geeft het album waarschijnlijk een handig zetje in de rug, maar er valt echt niets af te dingen op de talenten van Thomas Dollbaum. Het Britse muziektijdschrift Uncut koos deze maand het album Birds of Paradise van Thomas Dollbaum als het album van de maand. Het is het tweede album van de Amerikaanse muzikant, van wie ik eerlijk gezegd nog niet eerder had gehoord. Ik begrijp wel dat Uncut zo enthousiast is over het nieuwe album van de muzikant uit New Orleans, Louisiana, want Birds of Paradise is een album dat veel te bieden heeft. Bij mijn eerste kennismaking met de muziek van Thomas Dollbaum vond ik eigenlijk direct alles goed aan Birds of Paradise, maar de stem van de Amerikaanse muzikant viel me het meest op. Thomas Dollbaum beschikt over een bijzondere stem, maar de zang op het album is ook gewoon erg goed, zeker als er wat steviger wordt uitgehaald of de hogere regionen worden opgezocht. De stem van Thomas Dollbaum wist me direct te verrassen en te overtuigen, maar nu ik het album wat vaker heb gehoord, vind ik de zang op Birds of Paradise nog een stuk indrukwekkender. Ook in muzikaal opzicht is het tweede album van de Amerikaanse muzikant een zeer aansprekend album. Thomas Dollbaum formeerde voor het opnemen van zijn tweede album een compacte band met onder andere topgitarist MJ Lenderman. De voormalige gitarist van Wednesday hield zijn gitaar overigens het grootste deel van de tijd in de koffer, want op Birds of Paradise is hij vooral als drummer te horen. In Dozen Roses pakt MJ Lenderman de gitaar er wel even bij en dat hoor je direct, al is ook op het gitaarwerk van Thomas Dollbaum niets aan te merken. Thomas Dollbaum en zijn medemuzikanten namen het tweede album van de Amerikaanse muzikant in slechts een paar dagen op en dat zorgt voor een lekker ruw en gruizig geluid. Het is een geluid met flink wat invloeden uit de Amerikaanse rootsmuziek, maar ook hokjes als alt-country en indierock zijn van toepassing op de muziek op Birds of Paradise. Het album werd opgenomen in de studio van Drive-By Truckers bassist Matt Patton in Mississippi, waar producer Clay Jones achter de knoppen zat. Er is volgens mij niet al teveel gesleuteld aan het geluid op het album, waardoor Birds of Paradise ruw en energiek klinkt. Door het ruwe karakter van het gitaarwerk is het tweede album van Thomas Dollbaum een album dat in de smaak zal vallen bij liefhebbers van echte gitaarplaten. Het is een gitaarplaat die zich beweegt tussen genres en die ook door de tijd wandelt. Het tweede album van de muzikant uit New Orleans heeft soms een duidelijke jaren 90 vibe, maar past ook prima in deze tijd. MJ Lenderman speelt volgens mij een redelijk bescheiden rol op het album, maar het bevat in muzikaal opzicht ook zijn stempel, waardoor liefhebbers van zijn muziek ook het album van Thomas Dollbaum zullen kunnen waarderen. Birds of Paradise klinkt als een album dat met veel passie op de band is geslingerd in de paar dagen dat het album werd opgenomen, maar intussen klopt ook alles in de muziek en in de zang van Thomas Dollbaum. Het levert een album op dat zomaar kan ondersneeuwen, maar Birds of Paradise kan ook zomaar uitgroeien tot een van de grote verrassingen in de jaarlijstjes aan het einde van het jaar. Uncut maakt meestal behoorlijk veilige keuzes wanneer het gaat om de keuze voor het album van de maand, maar Birds of Paradise van Thomas Dollbaum is een verrassende keuze, die absoluut navolging verdient.