Raleigh, NC duo of Phil Moore and Beth Tacular, collectively Bowerbirds, won heaps of critical acclaim for their debut album. Now, two years later, the pair have released their anticipated follow-up record Upper Air.
Bowerbirds music is firmly rooted in folk and traditional Americana music. Strummed guitar and the judicious inclusion of accordion will attest to this.
Songs like swaying "House of Diamond" and "Crooked Lust" are warm and inviting tunes that would provide comfort around any campfire. On top of this folk base, Bowerbirds pile a unique production quality, almost a lo-fi sensibility.
As often as the result of this is the glorious yearning folk of a song like "Chimes", the result can be humdrum acoustic music. The minimalist "Silver Clouds" so plain and generic that it could be written and performed by any number of nameless, faceless musicians.
However, Bowerbirds have shown they can excel beyond almost anyone in their genre. When Moore and Tacular share vocal duties they create some of the most engaging indie folk music of our time.
Luckily for the listener, Upper Air succeeds far more often than it fails.
Best tracks: "Chimes", "Northern Lights"
Track listing for Upper Air:
- House of Diamonds
- Teeth
- Silver Clouds
- Beneath Your Tree
- Ghost Life
- Northern Lights- MP3
- Chimes
- Bright Future
- Crooked Lust
- This Day
7.5/10
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