Appreciation, by Horse Feathers

Appreciation

by Horse Feathers

supported by

davekillcountysmith A continuation in the move towards a more conventional folk-pop sound. My much-loved strings are still there, but only in the background. Fans that start with this album may find earlier works harder to access. Favorite track: Evictions.

Mubla Na Thguob Love the more energetic songs. This is so good it almost seems like it must be a greatest hits album.

Dominic Pioter In Horse Feathers' glorious, storied career, this is their most joyous, most hopeful, most raucous, most sassy album. Love! Favorite track: On the Rise.

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
We found a box of the peach vinyl pressed exclusively for mailorder/shows. 300 were pressed and these are the last of them so grab one soon. One per customer.

Includes unlimited streaming of Appreciation via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

edition of 300 18 remaining

Purchasable with gift card

$26 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Pressed by Cascade Record Pressing. Black vinyl.

Ships from the Kill Rock Stars office in Portland, OR

Includes unlimited streaming of Appreciation via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

Purchasable with gift card

$25 USD or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Ships from the Kill Rock Stars office in Portland, OR

Includes unlimited streaming of Appreciation via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

Purchasable with gift card

$15 USD or more
Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$9 USD or more

1.	Without Applause 02:44	buy track
2.	Born in Love 03:16	buy track
3.	Best to Leave 03:23	buy track
4.	Broken Beak 03:11	buy track
5.	Don't Mean to Pry 03:19	buy track
6.	Altamont 03:02	buy track
7.	Evictions 04:14	buy track
8.	Faultline Wall 04:18	buy track
9.	The Hex 03:28	buy track
10.	On the Rise 03:47	buy track

about

Horse Feathers feels like a secret you don’t really want to share. Over twelve years and five albums, a passionate fan base has experienced this band as a precious commodity that they want to keep close to their hearts. One reason for this can be found in lead singer Justin Ringle’s distinctive voice, at once vulnerable and piercing, and in the quality of the music: gorgeous, lush string arrangements surrounding stark, visceral lyrics whose bite makes a piquant juxtaposition to the surrounding beauty.

Now, however, Horse Feathers has created an album that differs enough from its predecessors to suggest that the cat might get out of the bag. On Appreciation, their sixth full-length and the fifth on venerable independent label Kill Rock Stars, the signifiers of the band are there: Ringle’s warm tenor and lyrics that speak of work, love, and other struggles. But on this album less of the song dynamics are achieved with strings and more with an exciting new rhythm section steeped in Northern Soul. Longtime violinist Nathan Crockett and keyboardist Dustin Dybvig provide continuity, but much of Appreciation feels like the best of Ringle’s previous musical ideas just took a giant step into a larger arena.

Recorded primarily in Kentucky (at La-La Land Studios in Louisville and Shangri-La Studios in Lexington), the new album features instrumentalists J. Tom Hnatow, Robby Cosenza and R&B vocalist Joslyn Hampton, who helped make Appreciation a mixture of strutting ‘70s-style country-pop (“Without Applause,” “Don’t Mean To Pry”) and supple soul (“Best To Leave,” “Evictions”). But Horse Feathers hasn’t gained accessibility at the expense of quality, nor at the expense of their signature instrumentation (“The Hex” might be the only R&B/soul song where the rhythmic lead is played on banjo). For those who crave what NPR called “the densely pretty seethe of Horse Feathers’ earlier ballads”, the album delivers “Born in Love” and “On the Rise”, accentuating the string surge with Hammond organ, piano, tambourine, and finger snaps.

“It just felt like a fresh take on how my songs can come across,” Ringle says. “With this incarnation, it’s okay if what I’m doing right now is in fact kind of a pop song. I can have a chorus and repeat something. I’m more aware of that and enjoy it.”

This artistic adjustment comes in the wake of a lot of changes in Ringle’s life. Not too long ago, he left his former hometown of Portland for the coastal city Astoria, Oregon. He’s also been dipping his toes into the world of record production, helping North Carolina band River Whyless with the recording of their last album We All The Light. After a while of bouncing between three states, as well as stops in Camas, Washington to finish Appreciation with longtime compatriot Skyler Norwood at Miracle Lake Studios, Ringle is finally settling down just in time to get ready to hit the road with Horse Feathers in support of this new album. “I wanna get out there and do my job,” he says.

Diehard fans are going to find plenty to cherish on Appreciation. But they’re going to have to make room in the club house for a lot more people – with this album, the Horse Feathers secret is officially out.

Appreciation is out May 4th, 2018 on Kill Rock Stars.

credits

released May 4, 2018

Justin Ringle: songs, vocals, guitar, banjo
Nathan Crockett: violin, viola
J. Tom Hnatow: bass, pedal steel, guitar, rhodes
Robby Cosenza: drums, percussion
Halli Anderson: vocals, violin
Dustin Dybvig: piano, synths, percussion
Lee Carroll: piano, wurlitzer, hammond
Jenn Crockett: clarinet, bass clarinet
Joslyn Hampton: vocals
Chriss Dennison: vocals

PRODUCED BY: Justin Ringle
MIXED BY: Duane Lundy at Shangri-la
MASTERED BY: Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Audio Mastering
ENGINEERED BY: Duane Lundy, Skyler Norwood, Anne Gauthier, Kevin Ratterman, J. Tom Hnatow, and Nathan Crockett
RECORDED AT: La La Land in Louisville Kentucky, Shangri-la in Lexington Kentucky, and Miracle Lake Studios in Camas Washington
ARTWORK: John Clark - cover photos, Justin Ringle - design
A&R: Portia Sabin

license

about

Horse Feathers Astoria, Oregon

Press: alex@publicdisplaypr.com

North America Booking: lori@concertedefforts.com

European Booking:
kalle@pitchandsmith.com

Label: krs@killrockstars.com

Licensing: lauren@terrorbird.com ... more

shows

Jul 11

Topaz Farm

Portland, OR

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