BOWERBiRDS - becalmyounglovers

ROUTES & BRANCHES

featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music

May 8, 2021

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

The sound of Bowerbirds was like a rustic cabin, a rough hewn structure with warm welcoming corners and plenty of character. Over a trio of records, Phil Moore and Beth Tacular crafted their acoustic folk around themselves, a very personal expression that joined similar acts like Brown Bird, Horse Feathers and Vetiver on the periphery of what was sometimes unfairly termed freak folk. Following the construction of a literal North Carolina cabin and the birth of a child, their relationship unraveled, leaving the future of Bowerbirds in doubt. 

Nevertheless, Phil Moore persisted. His work since 2012's The Clearing is collected in last year's seven-track Endless Chase: 2020 Singles and in October's Azaleas EP (see exceptional songs like "Thrift Store", "Endless Chase", "Home Wrecker" and "One Mind"). This work actually deserves consideration on its own merits, since it's far better than just another odds & sods assemblage. 

Last year's releases might also be seen as stepping stones between Moore's work with Tacular and becalmyounglovers (Psychic Hotline), the first Bowerbirds collection since her departure. The sonic evolution on these new sessions speaks in retrospect to Tacular's contribution at the same time as it celebrates Moore's commitment to following his own muse forward. Fleshing out the transformation, Bowerbirds: 2021 Edition adds percussionist Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver), multi-instrumentalist Alex Bingham (Hiss Golden Messenger) and fiddle player and vocalist Libby Rodenbough from Mipso. 

You'll hear the difference off the bat in the spidery electric guitar line and full drum of "SBSF". Moore's increasingly confident vocals are shadowed by Rodenbough's on the first of several tunes that seem to address the dissolution of his marriage: I wonder where the hours went / So bright so few / And then you just lay down / And let the waves take you. Bowerbirds have always been an acoustic act, characterized by a laidback spirit underlying thoughtful arrangements (the word ramshackle appears in a great many reviews). On becalmyounglovers, even the fiddle on "The Rules" is plugged in for a slippery solo. Moore hazards a trip into his higher register as he sifts through the early carefree days: Who breaks the rules like us / Who gets through this part untouched ... Not many babe. 

It's not a reinvention of Bowerbirds' musical ethic. A lot has happened in the eight years since their last formal gesture, including a change of personnel and Moore's fullscale reconsideration of his chosen career. On the surface, "Sweet Dissonance" could be comfortably shoehorned into an early project. The plinking strings and muted keys of "All This Rain" recall a chamber group's focus on detail. And Phil Moore continues his lyrical preference to write around impressions and emotions as opposed to pulling back the curtain on a story: My sweet dogs will die / Your sweet eyes will dry / The cancer comes like a train in the night. 

Still, there is a fuller, more complete spirit to songs like "Seems Impossible" or "Can You Beleeb", with its prominent lower end and unexpectedly strangled guitar solo, elements that add an indie qualifier to Bowerbirds' folk. There's an urgency to "Beleeb" that's new to Moore's music, in the arrangement as much as the lyrics: Feels like I'm traipsing into the void / Questioning my worth, holding back the joy. Where Beth Tacular might have added her vocal, Libby Rodenbough serves perfectly on songs like "Pennies". 

Songs here are characteristically short, but are rich in detail, from the dreamy calliope-like sounds on "Every Life" to the fiddle and slide guitar of "Moon Phase". Those strings multiply on "Revel Revel", behind Moore's self-doubt: Didn't I want it bad enough / Maybe I wasn't scared enough. Even in the shadow of life's changes, becalmyounglovers is a timely return and a welcome update to Bowerbirds' catalog. Phil Moore sings: There's a hurricane in the Carolinas / Otherwise, never safer. 

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A pretty busy week over at A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster, our day-to-day diary of forthcoming releases. We'll usually highlight just five of these for this weekly update. Rising country writer Vincent Neil Emerson has set June 25 as the release date for his follow-up to 2019's excellent Fried Chicken & Evil Women. The self-titled record is produced by Rodney Crowell (La Honda). Set an alarm for July 9 when the Flatlanders will share their first project in more than a decade. Butch Hancock, Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore have packed Treasure of Love with a blend of covers and originals (Rack 'Em). It's past time for a new Water Liars collection. In the meantime, we look forward to Andrew Bryant's next solo album, A Meaningful Connection (July 9). Los Lobos have migrated to New West Records for July 30's Native Sons. In addition to one new original, the record features the veterans' take on tracks originally by Thee Midniters, Blasters, War and others. Finally, it was just March when Whitehorse debuted their full-length Modern Love. Now Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet are expecting Strike Me Down to land September 10 (Six Shooter).