Musical inspiration comes from many sources, but life experience surely has to rank at the top. You’d be hard-pressed to find lives lived to the degree of friends Alex Paul, Eric Shedd, and Jack Tolan. So when they decided to trade-in their outdoor, world-traveling, adventurous lifestyle for equally lucrative careers as musicians, they had some material to build on. When they added violinist Anneke Dean to their troupe, they became the current incarnation of Birds Of Play. They’ve just released the second of two albums recorded last fall, Murmations, Volume 2.
A straight shot from their time playing around campfires, the record is acoustic folk, with hints of bluegrass and country. Sandhill Cranes perhaps personifies that best with its lively guitar interplay between Paul and Tolan in an ode to a migratory lifestyle. One Foot Out the Door has a catchy, finger-snapping beat and sings the praise of living in the present and not losing sight of what you have for what you might have. Tarab is the Arabic word for musical bliss, and the band’s harmonies and a strong bass line truly envelope you in just that feeling.
A few of the songs inject some country music influences. I’ll Be Good is a twist on the classic musician’s tale of hoping a loved one will be there when they return, only this time it’s coming back from a season of river guiding. Clumsy Dreamer is a little more of a ballad as it explores the viewpoint of a muse. Turn It To Gold is an old country shuffle, dance hall number about musical inspiration because “songs born from heartache just got more soul.”
The hardest song to describe on the album is As She Sees It. It’s a waltz, with some Balkan flair, about, well, I don’t know. But the vocals have an overlay dramatic quality to them to where they’re just a little bit silly. That whimsy maybe sends the strongest message about Birds Of Play. Having fun, and bringing joy to others, is what they’re about and it comes through in spades on Murmations, Volume 2.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.