Фирма Kill Rock Stars

Vinyl, LP, Album

Born and raised in Lewiston, ID, Justin Ringle has a natural affinity with the West. Its space, beauty, and nonconformity seem to be reflected in the music of his band Horse Feathers, named after an expression he heard his grandfather use. In Ringle's han Style: Independent

New Year's Eve always suggests a new beginning, and "Cynic's New Year" welcomes Horse Feathers' fans with the promise of something new. To be sure, old friends return. Wrapped around Justin Ringle's unique vocals are sparkling guitars, dancing fiddles, and smoky banjo woven through the foundation of the lower strings. But new elements are everywhere: horn, woodwind and brass appear and fade, and drums drive the beat in places, providing new texture and heft. The lyrics traverse familiar themes from natural disaster to the deeply personal, each through Justin Ringle's uniquely American linguistic lens. New vistas and new stories are explored with deep insight and fresh intimacy, always with an abiding respect and affection. The universe rises to threaten, inspire, and sometimes punish, but always to teach a valuable lesson. Souls, lost and found, embark on thoughtful emotional journeys. The first single, "Fit against the Country", describes a nation where working men and women shoulder their careworn lives with neither apology nor surrender. These are words that need to be held close, owing their poignance as much to the savor of their pure sound as to their meaning. "Where I'll Be", another single from this brilliant collection, has an infectious rhythmic cadence that marks it as one of the great songs evoking trains, with a compelling sentiment that belies the gray landscape it travels. Again joining Justin is instrumental coconspirator Nathan Crockett, accompanied by a gathering of gifted Northwest musicians including Dustin Dybvig, Victor Nash, Justin Power, Catherine Odell, Jedadiah Bernards, Cory Goldman, Jenn Rawling, Adam Thompson, Scott Magee, Brandon Johnson, and sound engineer Skyler Norwood. "Cynics New Year" does not fail to deliver something beautiful and new. It navigates a thoughtful, thought-provoking expedition from the wide sky and rolling ocean to the most private corners of the human heart. +++ Press: "I would recommend Thistled Spring to anyone with Cass McCombs, Bon Iver, Will Oldham, and even Horse Feathers' own onetime KRS labelmate Elliott Smith in their rainy (or any) day playlists." - Entertainment Weekly +++ "[Horse Feathers] has quietly stored up more staying power than most... [Justin] Ringle and his bandmates' compositions have gotten increasingly rich since their acoustic 2006 debut, Words are Dead, with that spare sound turning into something much more worn-in and sonically engulfing, a trend that continues on the new Thistled Spring." - The Onion +++ "Imagine Fleet Foxes on an empty stomach: beautiful, but not exactly comforting...the song, "Belly of June," is a marvelously weird little ditty, with haunting streaks of cello counteracting Justin Ringle's mountainside warble."-Prefix Style: Independent

Record Label: Kill Rock Stars

Style: Rock

"Erase Errata's new album, their third, Nightlife (KRS464), is a look at American life with the fluorescents on. Singer/ guitarist Jenny Hoysten serves up narratives that examine realities no one wants to look at: war and poverty. Erase Errata's lyrical c Style: Independent

Ultimately Deerhoof is not about notes and rhythms, but about emotion. And while 'Offend Maggie' sparkles with that inimitable something-or-other for which the band's become known, what this record wears on its sleeve so boldly and poignantly, is its star Style: Independent