(all photos by Keith Klenowski)
I first heard Bowerbirds when their stunning debut, Hymns for a Dark Horse garnered attention from The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle.  ENS would blindly follow John Darnielle into a volcano, so of course Bowerbirds captured our attention.    The Raleigh-based folk group signed to Dead Oceans and in July 2009 released their second full-length, Upper Air.   The band returned to Cincinnati on Wednesday in support of their latest album along with Julie Doiron.

Canadian singer-songwriter Julie Doiron started off the show with some songs from her latest album, I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day (Jagjaguwar).  Doiron, however, abandoned the fuzzed out distortion in favor of a stripped down set, revealing melodic pop songs that were more fragile and organic.  Without a full band, songs like the playful anthem “Borrowed Minivans” carried the perk and genuity of Kimya Dawson, while the equally sparse “No More” sounded closer to the lo-fi minimalism of former tour mate Mount Eerie.  Between songs, Doiron was sweet and awkward, and at one point asked the audience if anyone could let her and the guitarist crash at someone’s house.

Bowerbirds followed, starting off the set with ”Dark Horse”, one of my favorite tracks off Hymns of a Dark Horse.  The band, consisting of Phil Moore on acoustic guitar and Beth Tacular on accordian and keys, also included percussionist Mark Paulson and the guitarist from Julie Doiron’s set on mandolin.

While I had managed to scribble a handful of notes during Julie Doiron’s set, I realized I had failed to write anything down during Bowerbirds’ set. Like the rest of the audience, I found myself transfixed upon Tacular as she played the accordion and subdued by Moore and Tacular’s understated harmonies.

The show was a very calming way to end the night.   I hadn’t heard any of Julie Doiron’s solo music, and her set definitely encouraged me to check out her other albums, while Bowerbirds was unsurprising but still pleasant to hear.

(more photos by Keith Klenowski can be found on his website)