Bowerbirds - Upper Air reviews
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| Avclub |
 On Bowerbirds’ 2007 debut, Hymns For A Dark Horse, the coupled-up North Carolina duo spun folksy tunes and gypsy rags about the wonders of nature, which made sense—the record was made with singer Phil Moore and accordionist Beth Tacular living in an Airstream trailer in the woods, building themselves a cabin between band practices. Just as fittingly, Bowerbirds’ sophomore LP, Upper Air, is a more intimate affair that finds the pair well nestled in a spare-but-sound set of songs. Most noticeably, the “Go-Earth!” Pollyannaism (which was impressively tolerable the last time around) has been replaced by a flair for verbiage on par with Andrew Bird and Elvis Perkins, the two singers most conjured by Moore’s syllable-stretching and emotive coo. There’s still a line drawn in the dirt between the natural world and civilization, but that divide is explored through narrative on “House Of Diamonds,” and lines like, “You are free from the greed of your culture / you are free from the lust for the luster of the diamond houses in the city’s cluster.” And this isn’t Upper Air’s primary focus: Love is, and on songs like “Ghost Life,” stones, dunes, and oceans are metaphorical fodder used to soften the tougher parts of romantic entanglement. Bowerbirds benefit from a more-is-less dynamic musically, as well. Moore and Tacular break out organ, piano, autoharp, violin, and upright bass, among other instruments (not to mention a killer boy-girl harmony), but all in a successful effort to arrive at a simpler, more measured sound epitomized by the soulful jangler “Northern Lights” and the delicate surge of “Teeth.” Upper Air is a comely album through and through, and certainly one of this year’s high-water marks for the acoustically inclined....full text |
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| Nme |
| Coasting in on a wave of wistful Americana, Bowerbirds’ second effort tugs the heartstrings with free-spirited abandon. At times recalling the delicate acoustic tendencies of Bon Iver (‘Silver Clouds’) or the ethereal boy/girl duets of late-’90s Belle & Sebastian (‘Beneath Your Tree’), ‘Upper Air’ draws from the masters of heartbreak and condenses the findings into 10 tracks of spine-tingling harmony. ‘Northern Lights’ and ‘Crooked Lust’ prove stripped-back can still be completely consuming, while ‘House Of Diamonds’ is the sweetest paean to freedom you’ll hear in a long time. Overall, you get the kind of lush musings that’ll soundtrack all the pivotal moments of your wayward summer romance. Blissful....full text |
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| Thephoenix |
North Carolina's Bowerbirds take the prevailing indie-rock æsthetic — ornate, textured arrangements, clean vocal harmonies — and apply them to Southern gothic, Appalachian bluegrass, and folk. They're hardly the only band doing this sort of thing (see: Horse Feathers, Bonnie "Prince" Billy), and we may collectively be nearing our neo-folk saturation point.
But the 'Birds have an appeal that's tough to resist. Phil Moore is a sweet crooner, and his voice meshes nicely with that of accordionist Beth Tacular. Moore's guitar sounds as if it were being played off in the distance somewhere, especially when complemented by a low-booming bass drum — there are times when Upper Air could be some clandestine jam session in the wilderness. They also mix up the accompanying instrumentation: xylophones, strings, organs, piano....full text |
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