Bowerbirds: Hymns for a Dark Horse
The dark, yet exuberant Americana of North Carolina's Bowerbirds has become a staple on my iPod. Mr. Mountain Goat himself, John Darnielle, calls thems “My favorite new band in forever.” Bowerbirds' wonderful debut record, Hymns for a Dark Horse, is set to be released July 10 (with preorders available now). Here's a sample:
Download:
In our Talons
Dark Horse
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bowerbirds
Hymns for a Dark Horse is the first album from Raleigh, N.C., trio Bowerbirds. Indicative of the music they make, Bowerbirds were born of unequal parts conflict and sweetness.Phil Moore and Mark Paulson had moved east from Iowa to form a band, Ticonderoga. In Raleigh, Phil met Beth Tacular--a collected and published painter. Both were weary from the recent collapse of their long term relationships but saw something special in each other. Not long before Ticonderoga disinegrated on tour somewhere in Alabama, Phil and Beth moved in together.
While taking a summer job in the swamps of South Carolina, Phil and Beth painted pictures and wrote songs and sang them. They started Bowerbirds and asked Mark to join them whenever possible.
They've toured the country once in a minivan, playing small clubs and coffee shops and street corners and camping in forests and deserts beneath the stars. They live in an Airstream trailer in the woods, and they're ecstatic.
