CD Reviews

Brown Bird | Fits of Reason

Supply & Demand (2013)

By ZETH LUNDY | March 18, 2013

3.5 Stars

Brown Bird, a boundary-pushing Americana duo from Rhode Island, make music that touches upon that can't-put-my-finger-on-it amalgamation of past and future sounds. Their reductive semi-electric folk — slightly overdriven guitar, violin, upright bass, foot percussion, wicked tight harmonies — is deceptively simple in its toe-tapping-ness, though in fact it is frequently reminiscent of '30s-era Ellington flirting with Cuban and Middle Eastern tropes in a proverbially dusty middle-America barn. This motley style proves winning on infectious songs like opener "Seven Hells" and the sorta sea shanty "Threads of Measure." On "Bow for Blade," a multi-tracked MorganEve Swain, goaded by jaunty fiddle, threatens to steal the show from her gruff-voiced counterpart. "Barren Lakes" and "Hitchens" both betray a desire to shake loose the shackles of genre and go full-on prog-metal — which is to say, Fits of Reason is here, there, and everywhere, firmly in this lifetime and yet agelessly out of it.

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Last fall, Brown Bird officially downsized to two incredibly-talented partners in vocalist/guitarist/percussionist David Lamb and MorganEve Swain handling fiddle, cello, upright bass, and vocals.
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Running with the Devil
The surge of locally-harvested folk/roots/Americana acts flourishing in Rhode Island continues.
Soundsessioning; plus, Lighting Bolt and Allysen Callery
Last call for a good one going down at AS220 (401.831.9327) on THURSDAY (the 22nd) with makeupbreakup headlining (debuting new stuff from the forthcoming Scents LP) with THE BROTHER KITE , THE PRESS , and CELLAR DOVES ($6).
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'Twas a nice (if too brief) run for local indie-folk outfit the Devil, My Pocket, who are calling it quits with two headlining shows this weekend at the 201.
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On FRIDAY (the 2nd), local booty-shaking crew BOO CITY will perform two full sets at their SXSW "Fun-raiser" at Fête; there will be plenty of raffles, prizes, guest appearances, and AfroSonic spinning between sets; $5 at the door, call 401.383.1112 for details.
From Courageous men to Jocie Adams
Six straight days of live action on tap here! On FRIDAY (the 4th) Mark Cutler's MEN OF GREAT COURAGE rock out at Nick-a-Nee's (21+, no cover, 401.861.7290).
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Flesh and blood
The acclaimed folk/Americana quartet resume the whirlwind promo stretch leading up to their third full-length release, following 2008’s critically-lauded breakthrough Oh My God, Charlie Darwin and their ’07 debut, What the Crow Brings .
Hit the sauce
Come find us at the Salon on THURSDAY (the 10th) high-posting in the basement with DJS WAY O'MALLEY AND NO GO GO spinning assorted party jams; 21+ and no cover all night, call 401.865.5330.
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Topics: CD Reviews , BROWN BIRD, SUPPLY AND DEMAND, MorganEve Swain, More

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ARTICLES BY ZETH LUNDY

BROWN BIRD | FITS OF REASON | March 18, 2013
Brown Bird, a boundary-pushing Americana duo from Rhode Island, make music that touches upon that can't-put-my-finger-on-it amalgamation of past and future sounds.

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS | PUSH THE SKY AWAY | February 20, 2013
Much like the similarly low-key The Boatman's Call , Cave's highly anticipated 15th album with the Bad Seeds manages the puzzling feat of making a great band seem inconsequential, if not entirely absent.

SCOTT WALKER | BISH BOSCH | November 27, 2012
Scott Walker's late-period about-face is one of the strangest in the annals of pop music.

BILL WITHERS | THE COMPLETE SUSSEX AND COLUMBIA ALBUMS | October 31, 2012
Bill Withers has always been the down-to-earth, odd-man-out of the '70s soul brothers: he's the one who came bearing a lunch box on the cover of his relaxed 1971 debut, Just as I Am .

R.E.M. | DOCUMENT [25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION] | September 19, 2012
Fans of R.E.M. enjoy arguing over which album was the band's true shark-jump, but 1987's Document was inarguably the end of a groundbreaking era.