Watch: Horse Feathers - "Where I'll Be"

Just two days ago, Portland's Horse Feathers released the fourth album Cynic's New Year and decided to ring in the occasion with the release of a video for "Where I'll Be", a track they released little more than two weeks ago. For the video they enlisted Brian Danielson, who in turn responded to the muted colors of the album's cover as well as the paper dolls version of band it features.

The result is just the video, Justin Ringle's emotive plainsy vocals call for. Watch the video for "Where I'll Be":

Horse Feathers' Cynic's New Year is out now on Kill Rock Stars. 

Horse Feathers - "Where I'll Be"

No joke - I was about halfway through Portland folk quartet Horse Feathers' first track off their upcoming album when I preordered it. Because Horse Feathers are one of those rare and true bands consistently serving up grade A level folk pop. There's three album full of nothing but the stuff and it's looking like their fourth addition Cynic's New Year will only add to their reign as one of the most endearingly great folk bands around today. Justin Ringle has a strange knack for writing tunes that take on a sort of seasonal significance and from the two tracks we've heard so far - "Fit As the Country" and brand new track "Where I'll Be", Ringle's picking up right where Thistled Spring left off - kind of floweringly spring-like with the subtle hint of sweltering summer heat. Considering I was completely won over by "Fit As the Country", anything the quartet offer up after is just gravy.

Listen to Horse Feathers' "Where I'll Be":


Horse Feathers' Cynic's New Year is out April 17th on Kill Rock Stars.

(via Music Savage)

Horse Feathers - "Fit Against The Country"

Back when the Bowerbirds first started unveiling their new tracks, I joking mentioned that if Horse Feathers released a new album this would be the best year for folk music ever. Turns out, Horse Feathers are about to prove me right. Their new album titled Cynic's New Year, the follow up to 2010's Thistled Spring, is slated for April 17th released. That's only 2 months away and one month after Bowerbirds' new album. It's gonna be a great year.

Listen to Horse Feathers' brand spanking new track "Fit Against The Country":


(via Stereogum)

Hello MTN promise more album previews

While it's not the longest I've waited for an album, Portland folk duo Hello Mtn's debut album is definitely on my most anticipated list. Why? Because from the teaser clip on their Myspace, I was drawn in which they then followed up with a gorgeous cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" which they put out in time for the rock icon's birthday. Then was a rough edit of an album track "State Lines" and the duo announcing a European/Midwest tour with Catherine Odell's mainstay Horse Feathers. And somewhere between all this, the duo had a delightfully lovely track "Somewhere is Home" featured in a Levi commercial. A song I hadn't even heard of before but severely hope is on the debut because the minute and a half clip of it was absolutely amazing. Now, Hello MTN have promised via Twitter that they'll try to post more previews of their album and I'm besides myself with happiness. If you don't understand why I'm so happy or speak so highly of the duo, you need to check them out.

Watch the aforementioned Levi commercial featuring "Somewhere is Home":


And get another preview of their new album with a rough edit of "Palace Stairs" here.

Enjoy.

Pitstop: Hello Mtn

Anyone whose heard Horse Feathers knows its members are all incredibly talented musicians but what you might not know is that several of them have their own side projects/other musical endeavors. That's where Hello Mtn comes in. Composed of Horse Feather's cellist Catherine Odell and one Matthew Morgan, the Portland-based duo are apparently making a record according to their MySpace page. In fact, that's really all that's on their page. But lack of information aside, their music (which you can hear in small little snippets) is in a similar folksy, Americana, orchestra pop style as Horse Feathers but ruggedly different. Featuring Odell's sweet come-hither vocals, occasional appearances of cello, and Morgan on guitar I'm eager to hear more from them and to get my hands on the eventual record. You can check out Hello Mtn on their MySpace page here.

Random Musing: Horse Feathers and the Oregon Ballet

So after I attended the Horse Feathers concert in Poughkeepsie, folk musician John Craigie came to town and aftermentioning the concert mentioned Horse Feathers' collaboration with dancers. Intrigued I looked on Youtube and found some videos and found some info. Horse Feathers originally collaborated with the Oregon Ballet Theatre in November performing live accompaniment to original choreography in a show called Uprising. The show was so popular that they reprised the performance earlier this year in January. Enjoy some of the videos I found:

"Working Poor"


"Heathen's Kiss"


"In Our Blood"

Horse Feathers - Thistled Spring (2010)

Horse Feathers' latest album Thistled Spring, released April 20th, differs from their 2008 release House with No Home in a number of ways. First it marks the first studio recording since a lineup change of Nathan Crockett on violin, Catherine Odell on cello, and multi-instrumentalist Sam Cooper. Secondly, while still containing the bands heartland Americana sound, it steps away from the melancholy reminiscient of winter to deliver something brighter, warmer, and more energetic. But just like the post-winter thaw lead/title track "Thistled Spring" forms the link between the two albums as the soft, balladic opener tinged with just the right amount of hope. In fact, it isn't until "Belly of June" that the album truly picks up, exploding unrestrained before being tailor back with "Cascades" which features bowed cymbals and saw, similar in sound to House with No Home's "Heathen's Kiss". The rest of the album is characterized by the warmer sound bridging the album with energy subtly underneath; occasionally resurfacing in parts of tracks "This Bed", "The Drought", and returning full-force in "Vernonia Blues". The album ends with "Heaven's No Place" which resembles "Thistled Spring" in its soft, languourness nature.

Thistled Spring is an excellent follow up for Horse Feathers both retaining the bands characteristic sound, Ringle's narrative-like songwriting, and also offering up something new like a change in overall mood. It's sure to become a favorite of fans and new listeners alike.

Just last week, the video for track "Belly of June" premiered on Pitchfork. Check it out here:

Live!: Horse Feathers at The Aula

So earlier tonight I had the pleasure of attending a free concert at The Aula at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. The Aula is a small brick/wooden chapel-esque building made to fit about 120 people at most. The show was relatively well attended and started out with two seniors Charlie Warren and Josh Sturm who played about three songs each but Josh Sturm's performance was the most notable of the two for his unexpectedly amazing guitar skills. After Charlie, assisted by Horse Feathers' Sam Cooper, closed the set with a cover of "Time is On My Side" in which he charming forgot several of the words, Brooklyn-based folk musician Grey Reverend took the stage.
His playing and singing were pretty good but his performanced lacked the energy to keep alot of the students interested. The highlight of his performance however was his penultimate song by the name of "Nightingale" which he wrote to Elliot Smith. It was by far the most interesting and memory of all the songs he played and experimented heavily with the "standard" songwriting format.
By the time Horse Feathers got their turn many of the students were in need of a major energy boost which of course was provided by opener "Working Poor". Their setlist was a mix of music from their past two albums Words Are Dead and House With No Home with several songs from their latest release Thistled Spring thrown in for good measure. While there wasn't too much offered in the form of between song banter, Horse Feathers played with an energy was that both hypnotically captivating as well as even during their slower songs. Their performance was so well received that they were cheered into giving an encore to which they played a cover of Gillian Welch's "Orphan Girl" featured on their Cascades 7 inch.
Their performance was definitely something you had to witness as lead singer played the tamborine with his feet while singing and playing guitar, Sam Cooper swapped banjo for violin for drum set for piano even playing the banjo and bass drum at the same time. Nathan Crockett traded his violin for a saw for songs "Cascades" and Heathen's Kiss" and Catherine Odell managed to right her cello's slipping endpin with Nathan's shoe without missing a single beat. The band apologized in advance in the event we couldn't hear them as a result of their sound system but no apologies were necessary as the band play magnificently in a mix of studio recording like accuracy and live performing engagement. It was a concert I'm sure I won't soon forget and with performances of this caliber I sure hope to attend more in the future.

Pitstop: Horse Feathers

Some bands call themselves folk but offer up few elements besides that of an acoustic guitar. Well meet Horse Feathers, composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Justin Ringle, violinist Nathan Crockett, cellist Catherine Odell, and newly added multi-instrumentalist Sam Cooper, the band's sound is deeply reminscent of Appalachia with Ringle's high, quiet voice aiding to their moving quality. You'd never guess the band was from Portland. The band's gone through several incarnations, most recently from three piece to a quartet and the band's soon to be released album Thistled Spring will mark the first studio recording for all members but Ringle. Horse Feathers has previously released two albums, Words are Dead and House with No Home, and if there lastest album is anything to go off of the new album is bound to be an amazing musical experience.

The band's new album out on Kill Rock Star Thistled Spring is out April 20th. Also currently the band is on tour to promote the album and might be coming to a place by you. Hear what they sound like on track "Curs in the Weed" from there latest release House with No Home: