Bowerbirds is an American folk band formed in
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...
, United States, in 2006. The group comprises Philip Moore (vocals, guitar), Beth Tacular (accordion, vocals) and Mark Paulson (violin, vocals).
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
writer Stewart Mason places their sound on "the dividing line between the
freak folk
Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of folk, but adds musical elements common to psychedelic music.
Charac ...
contingent led by
Devendra Banhart and
Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom (born January 18, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Northern California, Newsom was classically trained on the harp in her youth and began her musical career as a keyboardist in the San Francisc ...
and the more straightforward
sunshine pop
Sunshine pop (originally known as soft pop) is a subgenre of pop music that originated in Southern California in the mid-1960s. Rooted in easy listening and advertising jingles, sunshine pop acts combined nostalgic or anxious moods with "an appre ...
of
Lavender Diamond
Lavender Diamond is an American, Los Angeles-based band, fronted by singer Becky Stark.
History
While living in Providence, Rhode Island, Stark began performing as Lavender Diamond in a play that she and puppeteer Xander Marro wrote, created ...
." Their debut album, ''Hymns for a Dark Horse'', released under Burly Time Records in 2007, received favorable reviews from publications such as
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
,
Time Out New York
''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide.
In 2012, the London edition becam ...
and
Prefix Magazine
A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Adding it to the beginning of one word changes it into another word. For example, when the prefix ''un-'' is added to the word ''happy'', it creates the word ''unhappy''. Particula ...
. Bowerbirds have toured in support of
The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, despite the ...
, with
John Darnielle
John Darnielle (; born March 16, 1967) is an American musician and novelist best known as the primary, and originally sole, member of the American band the Mountain Goats, for which he is the writer, composer, guitarist, pianist, and vocalist.
...
referring to the band as his "favorite new band in forever". Their second album, ''Upper Air'', was released July 7, 2009.
The band released ''The Clearing'' on March 6, 2012.
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Hymns for a Dark Horse'' (2007)
*''
Upper Air'' (2009)
*''The Clearing'' (2012)
*''becalmyounglovers'' (2021)
EPs
*''Danger at Sea'' (2006)
*''Lost Souls EP'' (2013)
*''Endless Chase: 2020 Singles'' (2020)
*''Azaleas'' (2020)
Singles
* ''Northern Lights'' (2009)
* ''In Our Talons'' (2009)
* ''In the Yard / Always an Ear to Bend'' (2012)
* ''Endless Chase / High Rise'' (2020)
* ''Thrift Store / High Rise'' (2020)
* ''Seems Impossible'' (2020)
Other appearances
*''
You Be My Heart
''You Be My Heart'' is a benefit album for 826 Valencia
826 Valencia is a non-profit organization in the Mission District of San Francisco, California, United States, dedicated to helping children and young adults develop writing skills a ...
'' (2013)
References
External links
*
Band pageat Dead Oceans
In-Depth Interviewat Folk Radio UK
Musical groups from Raleigh, North Carolina
Freak folk
American indie folk groups
Dead Oceans artists
{{US-folk-band-stub