Birds of My Neighborhood is The Innocence Mission's fourth full-length studio album. Originally released on the RCA sub-label Kneeling Elephant in 1999, the album was long-out of print until their current record label - Badman Recording Co. - acquired license to remaster and reissue the material in 2006. This was the group's first release as a trio following the departure of founding member Steve Brown in 1997. With the exception of his sole contribution to the album - drums and brushes on "Snow" - the album is largely bereft of drums. Don Peris took up percussional duties on "Birdless" and the closing moments of his self-penned "Green Grass, Red Tree," but otherwise the group adapted to its new trio status by replacing Mike Bitt's electric bass with an upright bass and taking on a more acoustic, folk-based sound than their previous guitar-heavy work. Their cover of "Follow Me" was recorded in late 1997 for inclusion on the John Denver tribute album Take Me Home, which had an estimated release date of 1998. With that record's release being continually delayed, however, Don Peris approached that record's curator, the Red House Painters's Mark Kozelek, for permission to include the cover on The Innocence Mission's own record. Mark Kozelek agreed, on condition that the song still be included on the tribute record when a general release was finally given in April 2000.[3] In 2007, "The Lakes of Canada" garnered significant attention when it was covered by Sufjan Stevens.