An organizing principle runs through the ten songs of Bird Name, the third album from Treephones: a song named after a bird, followed by a song named after a person, alternating from track to track. “Homing Pigeon”, “August”, “Wild Turkey”, “Bill”, “Blue Jay”, “Mike”, and so on. From this approach, Stephen Trothen, the songwriter and home recordist behind Treephones, has built an album around stories centred on small, highly specific moments.

Someone folds laundry in “Blue Jay”. Someone sneaks a cigarette in the garage in “Lyre Bird”. A mother talks to another mother on the phone about their sons in “Mike”. In “Wild Turkey”, there’s a dispute with a landlord. In “Chris”, someone considers buying a new drill rather than asking a friend for his back. A couple gets stuck in the middle of a lake in “August”. The songs drop you into the middle of these situations, leaving you to piece together the history and context from the details.

There’s something like birdwatching in the way Trothen observes his characters, staying close enough to notice the specifics in the present, without disturbing what’s going on. Much of what we learn about the characters comes indirectly, through offhand remarks, pointed comments, and small gestures. Family, loss, addiction, failure, and conflict are present throughout Bird Name, though rarely as subjects announced outright. Instead, they emerge through conversations, routine tasks, and jokes, often sitting just beneath the surface of what’s said and done.

“I think this is probably my most personal record, even though most of the stories are made up,” explains Trothen. “I wanted to write short story songs, using things I’ve experienced myself or am still working through as material. Often I'd take qualities or mannerisms from someone I know and put it into a completely different character or invented situation. Other songs have a more direct connection to real people. ‘Bill’ is a kind of biographical fiction built around former NHLer Bill Goldsworthy, who played for the Minnesota North Stars and is from my hometown. The last song is about my cousin Michelle, and is more of a personal tribute.”

Intricate fingerpicked guitar arrangements are a defining feature of Bird Name. Trothen’s playing is harmonically rich, with melodic lines that weave around one another and the vocals. In “Homing Pigeon”, the guitar rarely rests, supporting and occasionally doubling the vocal line while adding subtle harmonic turns and melodic flourishes that feel as much a part of the song as the vocal melody. In “Lyre Bird”, the solo section moves through intertwining figures that take on a baroque quality.

Bird Name was recorded by Trothen at home, and was mixed by Grammy Award-nominated and JUNO Award and Polaris Music Prize-winning engineer Calvin Hartwick at Dreamhouse Studios in Toronto. The cover features a painting by Jeremy Bruneel.

Balancing intricate songwriting craft with understated charm, Bird Name offers plenty of plumage to take in, adding another branch to Treephones’ increasingly impressive discography.