MP3 Alice Bierhorst - Earthbound
Earthy and intimate classic songs that evoke the dreaminess and poignancy of Nick Drake, Carole King and Neil Young
10 MP3 Songs
POP: Folky Pop, FOLK: like Joni
Details:
"Earthbound" has been brewing for nearly a decade and includes many of Bierhorst''s finest songs. Playing all the instruments herself and recorded to 4-track, this album is by far her most lyrical and exposed, along the lines of Springsteen''s "Nebraska" or early Mary Lou Lord and Cat Power.
The bluesy "Spring" opens the album on a dark note, recreating the moment love breaks down. Title track "Earthbound" spins a haunting paean to a lonely small town, much like where the artist grew up too far away to matter much to anyone and filled with longing.
"At Sunset" takes the listener on a harrowing drive through dark, dusty ghost towns, looking for a light. In "The Circle", love is simply an endless chain that can never be broken or lived without. "Flood Song" describes the destruction and freedom of stormy weather. African rhythms clatter and shake, moving into "Sickle-Backed Mare", a spare country blues ode to a fallen angel.
Continuing the reverent mood, "Dancing" is a dreamy yet urgent reminder of mortality, propelled by an undulating groove. "Naked Eye" is a madrigal-like ballad lamenting the neglect of beauty in this world. World-weary in "Law of Averages", a Bowie-esque rock ballad that dreams of a better world, the album ends on a high note with the life-affirming pop of "Hallelujah".
REVIEW from Performing Songwriter Magazine, May 2004
"Alice Bierhorst wears multiple hats with confidence on her sixth release, Earthbound. This native New Yorker spent years crafting her accompaniment and writing skills in the San Francisco music scene, before returning home in 1999. Back in New York, which seems to infiltrate her writing, she defines a new sound for herself by playing all of the brooding rhythm tracks on Earthbound. The lyrics are lean and use metaphor to dig into everything from love to war. Her chameleon vocals change character with each distinctly crafted song bringing to mind the photography of Cindy Sherman. Tinges of Velvet Underground and Nick Drake can be heard, but Bierhorst''s urban drumming and painterly lyrics are unique. These 10 tracks of beautifully weird pop remind us that less is more."