BOWERBIRDS - Hymns For A Dark Horse

This North Carolina trio make the kind of blissful porch music that is happily stuck between eras. It is equally as indebted to American folk and country traditions as it is to the interpretations of those traditions by current artists such as Iron and Wine, Devendra Banhart and Sufjan Stevens. The scope is decidedly more jolly, sober, and focused than those three artists respectively, creating a record that conveys the joy of singing with friends and family. With instrumentation rarely beyond guitar, accordian and percussion, Hymns For A Dark Horse is indeed imbued with a spiritual quality.