ZapTown

Horse’s Ha
Of The Cathmawr Yards
Hidden Agenda
Rating: 4 out of 5

It’s not often you can drop a name like John Renborn as a reference to some indie conglomerate and be cool saying that. But today’s that day, and I cannot be more happy to make a reference like that than with Horse’s Ha. Renborn, a classical guitarist, is best known for his folk tales and medieval odes about young lasses.

Even though that’s only a fraction of what this album is about, James Elkington (ex-lead of The Zincs) and Janet Beveridge Bean (best known for her country sounds as Freakwater and the illustrious Eleventh Dream Day) prowl through the countryside, searching for a lovely song. To their advantage, there really isn’t much that doesn’t fit into this band’s talented palette. The two have combined lush poetry with an impressively unique collection of songs that range from Renaissance fair fodder to sleepy-eyed country.

“Wild’s Empty Bedroom” is one of the more awe-inspiring country binges I have heard this side of Calexico’s conjuring of “Slowness.” A country fiddle lazily serenades, feeding off of of the pulse of the song. The duo’s vocals are as colorful as peering into a summer night through a canning jar filled with whiskey.

There are songs that shouldn’t co-exist. “Left Hand” is a ill-fitting coffee shop lounge number that turns the two into stereotypical fodder for an SNL joke. But the song works within the eclecticism of the album.

When everything comes together, you will only experience a genuine collaboration that only grows with each listen, thanks to the colorful work of the musicians who were brought in for this project, especially when they shine on the instrumental “Liberation.”

And about that Renborn reference? “Maps Of Stars” may end with more Renborn-like structure, but in essence, Of The Cathmawr Yards is about how a group of artists can stretch out their abilities without being considered kitschy.