Named after the 1932 Marx Brothers comedy, this band of musicians is fronted by singer-songwriter Justin Ringle, who previously was involved in a number of rock bands before starting to play open mics in 2004, under the named Horse Feathers. Two years later, Ringle joined up with Peter Broderick, who heard some of the acoustic demos and wanted to help him fill out the sound. Horse Feathers continued to acquire musicians, including Broderick's sister, Heather, on cello in 2007, and then featured a number of rotating musicians while Justin Ringle continued to be the main vocalist. Now, Nathan Crockett fills in for Peter Broderick on violin, and Catherine Odell fills in the cello parts for Heather.
I heard "Fit Against the Country" from the
birp.fm February 2012 playlist, and I love the acoustic-folk sound and the light and upbeat sound that the banjo adds in the background, contrasting the constancy of the strings. But mostly, I love the timeliness of the lyrics. Its a clear commentary on the state of the world, and my guess, American, written by an American. Its honest and simple, and poignant. Ringle quietly sings about a topic that has been all over the news for the last two years. The lyrics have such a powerful intensity that refrains from expressing blame or anger, and instead actually accepts some blame: "It's a hard country we made."
Horse Feathers are preparing to release an album,
Cynic's New Year, and I believe this track is a preview single. You can actually download a free copy if you
visit their website, and sign up for their mailing list.
Please check out this track. It surprised me in a really amazing way.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGAEEKI-m0k]
Comments (2)
c on January 16, 2016
I’m lucky enough to be able to listen to it already (super secret streaming link ;)). I wrote a review of it, for those interested: http://colcifer.com/?p=1198.
brady on January 16, 2016
Cool, C. Thanks for visiting and thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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