speed of dark

Bowerbirds

Mark, Beth,and Phil of Bowerbirds
Bowerbirds were formed by Phil Moore and Beth Tacular with Mark Paulson (violin, piano, and bass drum) joining shortly after. Phil's and Beth's vocals are similar to Ivan and Kelly of fellow North Carolina band the Rosebuds, whom Bowerbirds have performed with. However, Bowerbirds' sound is acoustic, gentle, and more organic, lacking but not missing the Rosebuds' thick synth grooves.

Phil and Beth live together in their "bower" in the woods, and these songs reflect their love of nature and simple living. The whole thing is peaceful, beautiful, and charming. Even my folkie husband likes it. I encourage you to stream all the tracks at their website.

From Hymns For a Dark Horse (2007):
Bowerbirds: Dark Horse
Bowerbirds: Human Hands

MySpace | Website | Label: Burlytime Records
Buy

Upcoming shows:
Sep 6 2007 - Un Deux Trois, etc. Benefit, Chapel Hill, NC
Sep 20 2007 - Black Cat with the Mountain Goats, Washington DC
Sep 21 2007 - Sonar with the Mountain Goats, Baltimore, MD
Sep 22 2007 - North Star Bar with the Mountain Goats, Philadelphia, PA
Sep 24 2007 - The Icon with the Mountain Goats, Buffalo, NY
Sep 25 2007 - Lee's Palace with the Mountain Goats, Toronto
Sep 27 2007 - Rex Theatre with the Mountain Goats, Pittsburgh, PA
Sep 30 2007 - Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA
Oct 1 2007 - The Bowery Ballroom with the Mountain Goats, New York City, NY
Oct 2 2007 - Studio B with the Mountain Goats, Brooklyn, NY


Bitter Bitter Weeks

Bitter Bitter Weeks: Ed Hogarty, Brian McTear, Amy Morrissey, Mike Kennedy
Philly-based Bitter Bitter Weeks belies their name and leaves only a sweet taste in your mouth. The band started as a solo project of multi-talented Brian McTear (producer of Matt Pond PA, among others). He shares vocals with even more versatile Amy Morrissey (singer for the Novenas, engineer and co-owner of Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia, and artist). This music is much more in rock mode than Bowerbirds' spare acoustics, but still sweet, pleasing, guitar-based, and mellow.

Brian McTear's vocals sometimes remind me of Kevn Kinney without the southern twang, and other times, like on "Once and For All," he gets into higher registers similar to Greg Gilbert of the Delays.

Peace Is Burning Like a River is their third album, and earlier works are worth looking into as well.

From Peace Is Burning Like a River (2007):
Bitter Bitter Weeks: Once and For All
Bitter Bitter Weeks: Terrified

MySpace | Label: High Two Records
Buy at My Pal God Recods, High Two Store, iTunes, and eMusic

Upcoming shows:
Jul 20 2007 - XPonential Music Festival (WXPN), Camden, NJ
Aug 24 2007 - Puck w/ Canadian Invasion, Doylestown, PA
Aug 30 2007 - Johnny Brendas w/ THE A-SIDES (CD release), Philadelphia, PA


Benzos


New York band Benzos' trip-hop influenced sound has been compared to Radiohead among others, but I hear more likeness to melodic shoegazers like Doves, Ours, and even Dishwalla. Their hybrid of dance rhythms and introspective gloom invites all kinds of comparisons, however. Branches is their second full-length CD. While there are no jaw-dropping standouts on the album, there is a lot of dark, moody beauty, and the songs flow nicely together.

At live shows they have impressed reviewers of Spin and CMJ and made a hit at Bonnaroo as well. Check their MySpace blog for links.

From Branches (2007):
Benzos: Phase 2
Benzos: Hurt Everybody

MySpace | Website | Label: Stinky Records
Buy at Stinky Records Store
Buy first CD Morning Stanzas at iTunes and eMusic


Benzos rock at Bonnaroo
Upcoming shows:
Aug 9 2007 - Knitting Factory (w/ Say Hi To Your Mom), NYC, NY
Aug 17 2007 - Camp Bisco (Main Stage), Mariaville, NY
More fall dates are being scheduled.