Dirt Poor Robins Releases Powerful Magnum Opus Concept Album "Firebird"

I saw this late at night when it first came out about a month or two ago. I was half awake, and it left an indelible mark on my memory. Strange, sweet, sinister, disturbing, & beautiful.

This album may not be for kids, but is for the innocent and beautiful of spirit, who desire the best for mankind. It is acted out from a "screen-within-screen" as though it is reaching into our own psyche. The mind we share with only ourselves begins to come across this way, the more we consume the world's media, and we need to recount what it is we believe, and have heard from the world outside, only to have to check ourselves later. This must be done, or we won't even know why we believe the strange things we believe- how we got to be the way we are now.

It begins as a srange recurrence of internal messaging in order to properly deal with it more responsibly later. Or why not deal with it now?

Yes, we must deal with it now.

This album is like that... it's like a medicine that forces us to vomit out the evil that seeks to claim us. Then, recognizing we have survived, we shower our loved ones with gratefulness as we realize we are past the worst of it.

It is a firebird for us all, if we will receive it.

So, let's break it down.

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The first track "Political" gets the worst "messaging" from the world out first. The bitter, dyspeptic, broken, and malicious narratives the world gives us must be eliminated. For those of you who've been indoctrinated in the world extensively, maybe through work programs, or church "fake virtue" signaling, or minimum educational requirements, this can be very difficult. We tie our own identity and self-worth to these terrible messages.

"Cry Wolf" becomes the next level of depth to the political corruption that requires elimination. It is more of a pleading emotional statement, a seemingly "kind" call-to-action that sends men to their death in war.

If for no other reason than to keep score.

Disturbing, yet we've all heard this voice on the news, and even we have been tempted to ask brothers to die in war for us in the past. Knowing the virtue signal from this reveals the dark sacrificial violence at work here.

Satan claims our brother and seeks to claim us as well, but God says we must rule over that dark spirit.

As God tells Cain in Genesis.

^"You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” – Genesis 4:7

The call to wake up or "You'll Never Hear It Coming" continues to come our way in this album. Awakening in this "Fever Dream" of worldly wisdom, death, and murder in opposition to God's goodness, law, and beauty. Cain's garden doesn't even possess animals to name. He kills, misremembers what has occurred, and can't even understand what he has done.

He is lost.

But this is when the cornerstone of this album comes in. A reminder from whence we came. The beauty of the Garden. God's intention for us. "Beauty Will Save the World," is a heartfelt call from God's Holy Spirit to understand the nature and power of beauty.

This is not an album for children, or the immature. This is for adults who can learn to take responsibility with sobering clarity. It asks us to look deeply within mankind's nature to find and to submit to the real answers God has for us. To rule over the evil that seeks to control us.

Beauty can truly save the world.

If you're an artist you know this truth deep down, yet those around us (who are not artists) doubt us. They doubt that we can help anyone, believing that because we create in the flesh that we must be corrupt like the flesh. But nothing is really wrong with God's creation, and his creation was always meant to be beautiful. It is the identifying mark of God's path that he has chosen for us.

And yes, the whole world IS LITERALLY DAMNED without God's beauty working through us, without us sacrificing self to save others. It is a statement of fact.

Truly, truly GLORIA, IN EXCELSIS DEO!

In order for this message to not be drowned out by the fear and desperation we get from the world we must retain the message God has for us. We can reach "To The Heights" in His Will by following His Spirit and His Ways. Nothing can separate us from God who loves us. Neither height, nor depth, nor angels, nor principalities, can pluck us out of God's hand!

Still, the world (and worldly wisdom) will keep working to try and destroy us.

Then at the last moment, as we may be beginning to lose hope, we remember what it was "All At Once." Love. Togetherness. Freedom. Eternal kindness. Lest we forget how he has called us to freedom. Lest we desire to return to a yoke of slavery. No.

Let it not be so.

Instead, let it be the Law of Love that calls us back. And let us hear the "Holy Roller" speak, shock, and rebuke the worldly mind in us that must be challenged by true art. We can also do this. But, we must exhibit faith.

But, we also must be careful to not excuse and ignore the lessons of the past, nor to say "So Long To Yesterday," just because we feel like we have the right solutions today. As Solomon says about there being "nothing new under the sun," the challenges we get today, were the challenges they had then, but in new sheep's clothing. As a result, studying the past can often reveal the same solutions that have helped us, now. And, so this can help give us a clearer picture of the future, paradoxically.

Even so, we see the world stand up in its ego. Our modern era has no shame and no knowledge of the past. These themes remain. Eternal. Eternally relevant and affecting. The "Empty" message of the world is that we can do it without God. We can be clean and fresh and young again if we just follow a skin cleansing ritual.

False religion.

Only the true host, The Holy Spirit brought to us from Christ, can fill us completely. The 3-in-1 brings us to the vaporwave reminder that it is true beauty, beauty is brought to us through Christ. No alternative.

Being invited to communion we are immediately ushered in to give account for our deeds. Are they good, or are they evil and of the world? Are we "The Imperishables" or are we the corrupt clowns of this world? Made fools of? Discarded and abused?

We realize that we do not need to give account. It is The Holy Spirit that answers for us, and as we meet a three-sectioned couch, we can go "To the Heights," and into our rest, as though they are the same. We become as a "Firebird," risen again through the Spirit, in the next life. Abused but not beaten.

Our scars become taller than mountains and our memory of our abuse makes us stronger. It is not anger against others, but a righteous anger for God. A zeal to bring us into His Kingdom that gives us ever more purpose, power, and value to God.

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If you enjoyed this breakdown of the Firebird album, I'd ask you to enjoy it again because it rewards repeat viewings, and consider delving into their older work. Some of them are incredible but I found that this one, Firebird, to be my current favorite.

If you're looking to hear their albums, only, they also have:

1. The Cage (2007)
2. The Last Days of Leviathan (2010)
3. The Raven Locks - a larger compilation (2019)
4. Deadhorse (2020)
5. Anthems to the Edge of the Earth (2021)
6. Queen of the Night (2022), and now,
7. Firebird (2024)

So, even though the newest one is my favorite, it should be noted that all of their music is great. It's powerful stuff. However, no album was of complete dramatic energy like this one. There were moments of short dramatizations, and some of these will be highlighted in the future.

In the meantime their music has powerful delight and mysterious dark wonder to it. So, just exploring this one may be enough for one day, or even for a week, just as this record stayed with me for months after I watched it. Enjoy!

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Did you enjoy this article? What do you think of Dirt Poor Robins and their latest album- a magnificent magnum opus concept album? Let us know down below (with subscription) or on our socials!