Brown Bird

A [dog] and [pony] road trip
Port of Call: Portsmouth, NH
10/22/09

At the end of October, Nick and I hopped in his car and followed Ron Harrity south of the Piscataqua to a breakfast diner called Friendly Toast. We were on our way to film a little sit-down with David Lamb and Morgan Eve Swain of Brown Bird in advance of the new album set to drop on Peapod Recordings on November 10th.

We listened to the album on the ride down. It's outstanding. Lamb's dusty voice, however, and the lovely twang of the dobro might set up a false expectation for a face-to-face. Firstly, you've got the gigantic beard. No hints of that in the music, although in retrospect you can see a beard and perhaps some overalls on the tracks - particularly on the rollicking, fiddly bit of Appalachia "Bottom of the Bottle."

Secondly, they're just really nice folks. I guess that probably comes through in the music as well, but the songs are an insufficient representation. Relaxed, friendly folks. David's got kind eyes above that black bushy beard. He and Morgan Eve share a tight but not in-your-face relationship. They're intimate without being over the top, saccharine sweet. An interesting counterpoint to an album with songs called "Danger and Dread," "Gallows," "Sickle and Hood," "Severed Soul," "Devil Dancing" and the aforementioned "Bottom of the Bottle."

And they keep good company. Also at the breakfast was a guy named Guy. A musician in Portsmouth who also works at Friendly Toast. Very pleasant dude.

Devil Dancing is a refreshing slice of Americana from the Northeast. The instrumentation ranges from hand claps and floor toms to dobros and banjos to bowed cellos and guitar (and more!). The mood is somber on many of the tracks, but there are haunting melodies, beautiful harmonies, enchanting bass lines and infectious clappings to pull you out of the dark, but into the song. Listening to the album, I find myself clapping along and swaying, grinning as I sang with the chorus "Are we gonna die?" And then really enjoying hearing Lamb's answer of, "We all gotta die."

This is the sorta earthy album I want with me when I drive out West.

The recording and mixing is the kind of seamless perfection that you don't even notice. Recorded at both the Hog Farm Studios in Biddeford and also at Ron Harrity's in progress studio in South Portland, you sometimes feel like you're in the room. On the track "Sickle and Hood," I imagine the sound of hay as you hear the claps and stomps reverberating off the space. You can tell that much of the album was recorded live, with everyone playing on time with each other. Overdubs blend in unnoticed, which is ideal. I love the sound Harrity pulls out of the cello. Opening up on "Danger and Dread" a simple, hooky, hypnotic bassline sets the tone for the whole album.

Devil Dancing has some definite earworm possibilities here, too. I've gotten the "Sha la la las" from "Lake Bed" stuck looping in my head so many times I could cry. Except that the vocal interplay on the track is so mesmerizing I forget about the crying and just pull up the song on my iPod. The sharp writing carries from track to track, not only in smart phrases and evocative imagery (if you hold me too tightly by the reins / I will crumble to a powder, I will shatter and be swept away) but the sibilance and staccato are expertly woven into the mood. From the breathless rant of "Bottom of the Bottle" to the smooth story telling of "Gallows" to the choral drone of "Severed Soul," the lyrics are not only clever but catchy as all get up.

Anyway, I'm rambling on. There's too much good to say here. The album comes out November 10th. Recorded by Ron Harrity at Peapod Recordings. It's lovely.