Horse Feathers: House With No Home (2008)

New Wax


I felt that Horse Feathers' 2006 debut album Words Are Dead was criminally overlooked. Sure, it received its share of press as a glowing example of Americana, but the band deserves last.fm statistics well beyond 178,000 plays. Considering the quality of the band's new release House With No Home, I'd suspect they won't be toiling in relative anonymity for long. With singer Justin Ringle as its driving force, the Portland band creates a gorgeous brand of (insert clever genre label for folk music). With the help of his sister/cellist Heather and gifted multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick, who has played with bands such as Dolorean, Norfolk & Western, and Loch Lomond, Ringle effortlessly weaves his whisper-soft vocals into string-heavy arrangements. The album's got its share of hushed lulls, but every time you may be on the verge of losing interest, a swell of violins, banjos, and cello brings you back into the fold. From the spare "Rude To Rile" to the banjo-laden "This Is What," House With No Home is so consistently pretty that it's easy to take it for granted. This is certainly a double-edged sword, and some critics may chalk the album up as another entry in an undeniably overcrowded genre. This isn't the case. Just listen with an attuned ear to the album's intricacies, and you're sure to find a wealth of beauty pulsating beneath its understated surface. -- Capt. Obvious

Listen:
MP3: Horse Feathers - Rude To Rile
MP3: Horse Feathers - Working Poor

Tags: Horse Feathers, House With No Home, Review