Album review: Floating Feather by Fox and the Bird

by Jessica Harp

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No over-produced sounds are found here; just pure and simple folk with a little dash of country.

What started in the living room of Dan and Kelsey Bowman’s home has become a thing of musical beauty. The couple, along with fellow founding member Travis Lawrence, are now 10 members strong with a rotating cast of talented musicians and vocalists known as Fox and the Bird. The folk group will release a full-length debut on July 29 at Sons of Hermann Hall in Dallas.

The new album, called Floating Feather, is filled with new tracks laced with layered harmonies and instruments. The band will impress you with how ardently and earnestly their instruments are played – which include mandolin, trumpet, accordion, and even a musical saw.

It is hard to believe that the music comes from a modern day band of twenty-something Dallasites. No over-produced sounds full of electric buzz are found here; just pure and simple folk with a little dash of country.

For those who follow The Fox and the Bird closely, many of the tracks on their debut will sound familiar. Former singles like “Mister Winter” and “Traveling Bones” have been re-recorded just for the release of Floating Feather. Both are standout tracks on the LP.

“The important thing about this album is that it's old songs that our listeners already know; a snapshot of our lives over the last few years,” founding member Dan Bowman said in an interview. “We recorded the album to sound like we sound live, not to sound like a polished version of ourselves conjured up in the studio. For new listeners, we would give no introduction: Take what you will from it.”

Another track of note is the album’s closer, “Hey Sister,” which is more country than folk, folk being the genre the band is best known for. It harkens back to the days when country was more about the music than showmanship. It's sung with sadness and played with heart -- the kind of country that moves you.

Along with new recordings of some band favorites, The Fox and the Bird has also included a rather unique add-on for those who pick up a physical copy of the album: handmade CD booklets that feature the penmanship of each musician who contributed songs on Floating Feather.

“We feel like this gives people something more unique than a standard jewel case or digipak,” Bowman said.

In the coming year, Bowman said he'd like to release the album on vinyl. If the band does manage to press some records, listening to the album in its purest form would be sweet perfection.

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