Where Else, the new EP from Minnesota indie-folk band Humbird opens gently with softly whispered voices. As these voices begin to collide and overlap, the sound of human vocals begins to flow into water, harmonic drones floating overhead. It’s a viscerally visual sound, an echo of the clear, unbroken silences of the Minnesota woods that first inspired Humbird songwriter Siri Undlin. The eldest daughter of a trial lawyer and Lutheran preacher, Undlin witnessed the power of stories from a young age and began writing music and performing at the age of 12. Born and raised in Minneapolis, she speaks today of a city that’s still surprisingly close to the rivers and forests of the land, the images of her youth in the Midwest coming back unbidden as she travels the earth. In 2014, Undlin undertook a year’s travel through Northern Europe as part of a fellowship, drawing lasting inspiration from Norse mythology, Sami animism and joiks, the Welsh countryside, Paleolithic cave paintings, old world lutherie, and frozen Icelandic landscapes. These inspirations, and inspirations from further travels across five continents, remain in Undlin’s music today, though Humbird is much more of a collaborative process, bringing together the talents of Undlin’s long-time musical partner Dexter Wolfe (from their duo Undlin & Wolfe) with Minneapolis musician Pat Keen (bass/drums) and others. Where Else presents a sound that touches on lodestones as diverse a Bon Iver, Bill Frisell, and Joni Mitchell, a sound meant to reflect a global North, a sense of place tied to the hyperborean realms.
Recorded in Wolfe’s studio, an unheated old church from the 1800s in Minneapolis, the surrounding winter and burgeoning spring seeped through the walls during the months of work. Where Else is the second of a two EP set released in Summer 2017 by Humbird. The first EP, Elsewhere, is a kind of early companion to the current EP, and was released June 2017. Both EPs when taken together present a cohesive vision of modern American roots music set through the lens of a starkly Midwestern perspective, touching repeatedly on Undlin’s own Norwegian-American heritage and her travels in the North. Combining a wintry longing with the warmth of a familiar folktale, Humbird stretches between experimental folk and environmental Americana to embrace the unexpected. This music invites a refreshing dissonance into the house, it leaves breadcrumbs along the path and reflects light back at the stars.
credits
released August 25, 2017
All songs and arrangements by Humbird
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Dexter Wolfe at Tatterwood Studios
Artwork and Design by Serena Wagner of Odd Brand Strategy
Wh(R)Isp(v)ER
Inspired by John O'Donohue's Anam Cara (borrowed first lyric)
Vocals by Siri Undlin
Synth by Dexter Wolfe
Your Animal
inspired by Mary Oliver's Wild Geese (borrowed first lyric)
vocals and acoustic guitar by Siri Undlin
lead guitar by Dexter Wolfe
bass by Pat Keen
drums by Dave Power
Leave A Light On
vocals and acoustic guitar by Siri Undlin
lead guitar by Dexter Wolfe
bass by Pat Keen
drums by Dave Power
wurlitzer by Jake Rudin
Fresh Water
vocals by Siri Undlin
guitar by Dexter Wolfe
bass by Pat Keen
drums by Peter Quirsfeld
Kansas City, MO
vocals and acoustic guitar by Siri Undlin
lead guitar by Dexter Wolfe
bass by Pat Keen
Combining a wintry longing with the warmth of a familiar folktale, Humbird stretches between experimental folk and
environmental Americana to embrace the unexpected. This music invites a refreshing dissonance into the house, it leaves breadcrumbs along the path and reflects light back at the stars....more
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This ain't Texas. This ain't Nashville. This is country that straddles the US and Canadian border. Its wide open, strong, and a little vulnerable, and in a lot of cases having a good ol' time. I love her feel. veenstar