Hymns for a Dark Horse



Bowerbirds is an American folk band formed in Raleigh, NC, United States, in 2006. Following a hiatus from The Clearing in 2012, the band released a string of digital singles in 2020 (compiled on Endless Chase: 20 Singles) and the album becalmyounglovers in 2021. Comprising Philip Moore (vocals, guitar), Beth Tacular (accordion, vocals) and Mark Paulson (violin, vocals), their début album, Hymns for a Dark Horse (2007), was released on Burly Time Records, followed by their second album, Upper Air in July 2009 and album number three, The Clearing in March 2012. Whereas the first two albums were recorded on the quick and the cheap, the songs sounding like old, familiar campfire anthems sung by a couple clinging to very deep love. For the recording of The Clearing they had more time and better resources, making it a bigger sounding record, with bolder sounds, a broader scope, and more complicated songs. It was more than a third record for Bowerbirds. Between 2009 and 2012, Beth Tacular nearly died after a mysterious illness that put her in the hospital. Beth and Phil even ended their long relationship but began it again after realizing that, despite their own shortcomings, they didn’t want to be with anyone else. Mostly, though, they returned to their cabin in the woods of North Carolina to nest—to make soup and walk dogs, to make art and write songs, to realize that this was their life and find contentment in it. From 2012 to 2020, they did not release anything until the release of a string of digital singles in 2020 (they were compiled on Endless Chase: 20 Singles) and a long overdue new studio album, becalmyounglovers, in 2021. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.