{"id":79576,"date":"2023-01-03T12:21:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-03T11:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=79576"},"modified":"2023-01-03T16:09:57","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T15:09:57","slug":"major-spark-tell-us-that-birds-arent-real-and-were-more-than-halfway-to-believing-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2023\/01\/major-spark-tell-us-that-birds-arent-real-and-were-more-than-halfway-to-believing-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Major Spark Tell Us That &#8216;Birds Aren&#8217;t Real&#8217; And We&#8217;re More Than Halfway To Believing Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In a Tom Waits-esque romp, Major Spark have us halfway to believing the conspiracy theory they&#8217;ve named their new song after, &#8216;Birds Aren&#8217;t Real&#8217;. The band from Boston pay a somewhat satirical homage to the idea that birds are actually government surveillance spies.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Polly Polly wants a cracker, Polly is a code hacker, Polly Polly is a data tracker&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s obvious when you think about it; birds are an ever-present sight, pretty much everywhere in the world, so it&#8217;s not hard to think that maybe, just maybe, they&#8217;re not as innocent as we think. Major Spark take the idea a step further, and leaping onto the popular conspiracy theory that birds are actually spies for the government &#8211; which government is never made clear &#8211; and take it a step further, asking, if birds are secret agents, then why not dogs and cats?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8216;Birds Aren&#8217;t Real&#8217; is set to a super groovy instrumental track, which hovers somewhere between Bossa Nova and 60s beach rock. Singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Mark Goodman, is 3 parts Talking Heads&#8217; David Byrne and 2 parts John Flansburgh, from They Might Be Giants. Incidentally the latter sang a song called &#8216;Birdhouse For Your Soul&#8217;. Coincidence? Hmm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joining Goodman is producer\/multi-instrumentalist Brian Charles, and the duo have been making a lot of great music over the years, and clearly equally having a lot of fun along the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spookily, as if the song was touching a nerve it shouldn&#8217;t have, &#8216;Birds Aren&#8217;t Real&#8217; was recorded at Zippah, Brian Charles&#8217; studio &#8211; only nights before it burned to the ground from a mysterious and unexplained fire. Perhaps the theory has more substance than we think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The music video for &#8216;Birds Aren&#8217;t Real&#8217; is composed of amassed government footage, assembled and edited by Philip Stevenson, the head of Nightworld Records. The clips, which even include video of real birds &#8211; show just how obsessed the government is with birds, as well as human surveillance. While it&#8217;s a fun song that will have you up and dancing, it&#8217;s also one that will make you think, &#8220;Nahhhhh&#8230;.ahh maybe&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Watch the video for &#8216;Birds Aren&#8217;t Real&#8217; below and find out more about Major Spark and their music online on their official <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/majorsparkmusic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">website<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MajorSpark\/\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/majorsparkmusic\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a>, and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/majorsparkmusic\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><div  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_75511\"  width=\"640\" height=\"360\"  data-origwidth=\"640\" data-origheight=\"360\"  data-relstop=\"1\" data-facadesrc=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CRWDKwW3doA?enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/essentiallypop.com&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=1&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;color=red&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;rel=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__ epyt-facade no-lazyload\" data-epautoplay=\"1\" ><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-spai-excluded=\"true\" class=\"epyt-facade-poster skip-lazy\" loading=\"lazy\"  alt=\"Major Spark - Birds Aren&#039;t Real (Official Video)\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/CRWDKwW3doA\/maxresdefault.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"  \/><button class=\"epyt-facade-play\" aria-label=\"Play\"><svg data-no-lazy=\"1\" height=\"100%\" version=\"1.1\" viewBox=\"0 0 68 48\" width=\"100%\"><path class=\"ytp-large-play-button-bg\" d=\"M66.52,7.74c-0.78-2.93-2.49-5.41-5.42-6.19C55.79,.13,34,0,34,0S12.21,.13,6.9,1.55 C3.97,2.33,2.27,4.81,1.48,7.74C0.06,13.05,0,24,0,24s0.06,10.95,1.48,16.26c0.78,2.93,2.49,5.41,5.42,6.19 C12.21,47.87,34,48,34,48s21.79-0.13,27.1-1.55c2.93-0.78,4.64-3.26,5.42-6.19C67.94,34.95,68,24,68,24S67.94,13.05,66.52,7.74z\" fill=\"#f00\"><\/path><path d=\"M 45,24 27,14 27,34\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a Tom Waits-esque romp, Major Spark have us halfway to believing the conspiracy theory they&#8217;ve named their new song after, &#8216;Birds Aren&#8217;t Real&#8217;. The band from Boston pay a somewhat satirical homage to the idea that birds are actually government surveillance spies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":79590,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"In a Tom Waits-esque romp, Major Spark have us halfway to believing the conspiracy theory they've named their new song after, 'Birds Aren't Real'. The band from Boston pay a somewhat satirical homage to the idea that birds are actually government surveillance spies.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7,9,21453,21445,21446,21449,640],"tags":[30330,11720,29255,77,370,1945,116,10677,22992],"class_list":["post-79576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","category-new-releases","category-new-singles","category-reviews","category-single-reviews","category-video-reviews","category-videos","tag-birds-arent-real","tag-lisa-hafey","tag-major-spark","tag-new-release","tag-new-single","tag-new-video","tag-review","tag-single-review","tag-video-review"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5yMhl-kHu","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":63257,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2020\/06\/president-streets-something-to-believe-sees-them-back-on-top-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":79576,"position":0},"title":"President Street\u2019s \u2018Something To Believe\u2019 Sees Them Back On Top Again","author":"Polly Havelock","date":"23\/06\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"President Street\u2019s \u2018Something to Believe\u2019 sees them back on top again, even in the face of a global pandemic.\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Screenshot-2020-06-22-at-13.21.52.png?fit=1078%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Screenshot-2020-06-22-at-13.21.52.png?fit=1078%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Screenshot-2020-06-22-at-13.21.52.png?fit=1078%2C624&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Screenshot-2020-06-22-at-13.21.52.png?fit=1078%2C624&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Screenshot-2020-06-22-at-13.21.52.png?fit=1078%2C624&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36716,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2018\/06\/rachael-sage-returns-with-her-new-single-spark-a-beautifully-honest-track-about-new-beginnings\/","url_meta":{"origin":79576,"position":1},"title":"Rachael Sage Returns With Her New Single \u2018Spark\u2019, A Beautifully Honest Track About New Beginnings","author":"Polly Havelock","date":"07\/06\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Intertwining infectiously catchy melodies with beautifully honest lyricism, Rachael Sage\u2019s new single \u2018Spark\u2019 is everything that we have come to expect from an artist whose creative talent knows no bounds.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;New Releases&quot;","block_context":{"text":"New Releases","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/new-releases\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rsage_photo_gal_59009_photo_1659030241.jpg?fit=960%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rsage_photo_gal_59009_photo_1659030241.jpg?fit=960%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rsage_photo_gal_59009_photo_1659030241.jpg?fit=960%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rsage_photo_gal_59009_photo_1659030241.jpg?fit=960%2C400&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":94552,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2026\/02\/shab-and-preston-harris-team-up-for-its-on-you-a-dancefloor-confession\/","url_meta":{"origin":79576,"position":2},"title":"SHAB And Preston Harris Team Up For &#8216;It&#8217;s On You&#8217;: A Dancefloor Confession","author":"Polly Havelock","date":"27\/02\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"SHAB returns with a duet that glows like a slow\u2011burning spark, teaming up with rising EDM force Preston Harris for a track that balances intimacy with widescreen, cinematic sweep. 'It\u2019s On You' feels engineered for late\u2011night dance floors - and the quiet, breath\u2011held moments that follow.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/%40jordankelseyknight_-9159.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/%40jordankelseyknight_-9159.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/%40jordankelseyknight_-9159.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/%40jordankelseyknight_-9159.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":78207,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2022\/10\/for-king-country-collaborate-with-superstar-jordin-sparks-on-a-new-version-of-love-me-like-i-am\/","url_meta":{"origin":79576,"position":3},"title":"for KING + COUNTRY collaborate with superstar Jordin Sparks on a new version of &#8216;Love Me Like I Am&#8217;","author":"Polly Havelock","date":"13\/10\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"When superstar energies collide, the result is bound to be remarkable. In the case of multi-GRAMMY\u00ae Award-winning duo for KING + COUNTRY sharing a new version of mega-hit 'Love Me Like I Am,' a Jordin Sparks feature looks like a perfect match.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/FKC_Jordin-Sparks_2753-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/FKC_Jordin-Sparks_2753-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/FKC_Jordin-Sparks_2753-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/FKC_Jordin-Sparks_2753-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/FKC_Jordin-Sparks_2753-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":94988,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2026\/03\/afrobeats-powerhouse-great-adamz-sparks-viral-fashion-moment-at-mobo-2026-awards-star-studded-red-carpet\/","url_meta":{"origin":79576,"position":4},"title":"Afrobeats Powerhouse Great Adamz Sparks Viral Fashion Moment At MOBO 2026 Awards\u2019 Star-Studded Red Carpet\u00a0","author":"Polly Havelock","date":"31\/03\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Fresh off the release of his electrifying new single, \u2018Umada\u2019, featuring producer Manuel Riva, rising UK Afrobeats star Great Adamz is heading into the mainstream - from chart-topping hits to viral Twitter moments over an iconic fashion choice on the star-studded red carpet at the MOBO Awards 2026.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image00001-scaled.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image00001-scaled.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image00001-scaled.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image00001-scaled.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50290,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2019\/06\/jerad-finck-returns-with-optimistically-upbeat-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":79576,"position":5},"title":"Jerad Finck Returns With Optimistically Upbeat &#8216;Home&#8217;","author":"Polly Havelock","date":"21\/06\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Riding high after the release of his culturally aware track 'New Kids', American singer-songwriter Jerad Finck is now returning with his optimistically feel-good anthem 'Home'.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Press-Shot-standing-up-.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Press-Shot-standing-up-.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Press-Shot-standing-up-.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Press-Shot-standing-up-.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Press-Shot-standing-up-.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Major-Spark-BaR-photo-1-horiz-Jessie-Rogers-Lazzarino.jpg?fit=1059%2C707&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79576"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79576\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}