Bowerbirds - Hymns For a Dark Horse
There is a particular tremor of feeling that all music fans search for, the shudder that begins in the ears and trickles on through the rest of the body. It is the joy of discovering a new sound, of hearing a band take familiar elements and make them new again. In their modest way, that is the accomplishment of alt-folk group Bowerbirds on their debut album “Hymns for a Dark Horse.” Using guitar, accordion, drums, violin and pleasing vocals, the band creates a kind of jazzy folk that is dark, compact, and glittering. A hunk of obsidian in a forest clearing. Everything is driven forward with powerful melodies and a confident beat, quiet moments of musical doodling nicely balanced with loud, exuberant choruses. The lyrics revolve around environmental issues, calling humankind out for its disrespect and destruction. That may sound impossibly heavy-handed on paper, but set to their delicate, propulsive, and beautiful tunes it is the most natural thing in the world.
Grade: B
-Graham Trail