BOMBADIL > Tarpits and Canyonlands

Updated:

February 6, 2013 8:41 pm

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Tarpits and Canyonlands still defies easy categorization, setting up camp at the confluence of Paul Simon, Ben Folds, and The Decemberists with a series of bounding piano-pop ditties, humble acoustic guitar ballads, and rollicking folk-pop anthems that make the occasional Bolivian folk sing-along seem like an outlier.

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Label: RAMSEUR
[Rating: 3 Stars]

Having generated a healthy buzz with their spirited blurring of Bolivian folk, Piedmont blues and quirky Americana (as well as their penchant for dressing in the style of Bolivian octogenarians), North Carolina’s Bombadil seem eager to shake off the novelty tag with their sophomore album. Tamping down their previous emphasis on ethnic folk instruments, Tarpits and Canyonlands still defies easy categorization, setting up camp at the confluence of Paul Simon, Ben Folds, and The Decemberists with a series of bounding piano-pop ditties, humble acoustic guitar ballads, and rollicking folk-pop anthems that make the occasional Bolivian folk sing-along seem like an outlier.