Bowerbirds - Hymns For A Dark Horse
Who the hell are Bowerbirds? Well let me tell you. They are Phil Moore, Beth Tacular and Mark Paulson.
The band formed after Moore's previous band (Ticonderoga) split. Around this time Moore took a job tracking birds, which involved living in a cabin in the Carolina woods, far from civilization. Moore's girlfriend, Beth Tacular, joined him in the cabin to work on her painting and at night Moore penning the numbers that would constitute the Bowerbirds set. After his band split Moore and Tacular formed a duo, with Tacular teaching herself accordion and providing basic percussion with a bass drum. They also recruited the multi talented Mark Paulson.
The result is 'Hymns For A Dark Horse' and what a result! On first listen I was confused - I knew there was something magical here but it just wasn't getting through my meathead. It was only after countless listens that I started to appreciate the beauty.
The obvious comparison (if only because of the environment in which it was created) would be Bon Iver, however this album differs in many ways; Moore's voice is much more in the forefront in these recordings plus there is also the magical use of harmony with Tacular. No less is this apparent than in the hook of 'My Oldest Memory'. Another point of difference is the use of accordion and violin which create a melancholic background to Moore's plaintive vocals.
Moore's melodies are adventurous and go in directions that you never expect. See the opener 'Hooves' where Moore takes the word 'Heart', adds to it ten syllables and makes it fly skyward. 'Hooves' also has one of the darkest opening lines I've come across; "Back to when I was born on a full moon, I nearly split my mama in two" but then turns it on its head with "and whilst she held me proud I had the thought, there is no one more beautiful than you" - excellent!
The tracks have a groove despite the minimal percussion and they're also infected with some of the most beautiful melodies to come out of a violin ('Dark Horses'). 'Olive Hearts' recalls James Yorkston. You would never say they sound the same but you could easily imagine Yorkston penning this beautiful number. This could be said about a lot of the album, which is more reminiscent of the British nu folk community than the American equivalent (Banhart, Newsom, Vetiver, et al).
Overall then, a challenge to get into but please persevere and you will be rewarded by little inflections, oddities in melodies and one of the loveliest albums I've heard all year.
Top Tracks: ‘Olive Hearts’, 'Hooves'.
Released 18/08/2008 on Dead Oceans