Album Review by Claudia Boisvert
North Carolina’s indie duet Bowerbirds recently laid their third egg, a full grown baby named The Clearing. Full grown because it steps a little apart from their two previous albums, keeping some elements the same but adding to those a new energy we couldn’t find before, which makes The Clearing a more mature record. Musically speaking, but maybe also emotionally, if we consider the background which involved the two members Beth and Phil last year.
The past months have indeed been eventful, between Beth’s sudden illness, the rescue of a dog, their retreat in the woods, and some relationship problems. Happily, they are back together, stronger and closer than before, and it shows in their music. It’s not always easy to speak our heart and mind, to allow ourselves to philosophize over life; maybe going through their problems made this simpler, or made the urge to share their thoughts louder. The answer isn’t important. The result of all this is.
The Clearing seems to be a way to evacuate heavier feelings but does not fall into the trap of darkly venting over life, as some bands might do. Bowerbirds wanted to express the way they felt, when hard feelings were slowly replaced by shrugs, chins up and a light smile on their face. “Tuck The Darkness Is”, the first song, might be a good example of this perspective, talking about nothing less but the fatality of death. It also features both Phil and Beth’s voices united as sweet duet, while other songs are mostly sing by Phil even though Beth got a few solos, a thing missing from their previous albums.
The record continues with “In The Yard”, with Beth’s vocals that carry us away, into their universe. Despite the slow beat, the melody remains as catchy as the more energetic track “Stitch the Hem”. “Walk the Furrows”, between them, is more quiet and its acoustic style reminds the last album (but without the percussions we usually found before). The fifth track “This Year” has the same tranquil beginning but adds a heavier end, while “Overcome With Light” stays more country-like on its entire length.
The rest of the album leaves the guitar beside and uses a richer soundtrack, such as “Hush” and “Sweet Moment”, two songs quite light and playful. Contrasting a little to them are with “Brave World” and “Death Wish”, who bring deeper and graver sounds. “Brave World” also has a mysterious atmosphere we find again in “Now We Hurry On”, the last track on the record. It then ends in a soft way, on a long, calm and peaceful melody.
Instead of leaving me with bitterness because of its sometimes serious and rough subjects, the record actually appeased my soul. It gave me a break from our modern life and brought me back to the essence of life, to the simple pleasures despite the hard times that may come. As you may have guessed, the listening of it felt very great.
Overall rating: 5/5
Website: http://www.bowerbirds.org/
