Thistled Spring , Kill Rock Stars***

It’s taken three albums for Justin Ringle and his Portland downbeat folk-rock outfit to find their rhythm. While Horse Feathers were always a band you felt you should make an effort to admire, there was little in their previous two albums to make them stand out from others mining the dark side for material.

What makes Thistled Springa different beast is the warmth and confidence of the playing. Ringle is still singing songs of heartbreak, pain and emotional toil, but the mesh of instrumentation fleshing out his plaintive, hushed tones elevate Belly Of Juneand The Droughtbeyond mere dirges. While the arrangements certainly add colour and texture to what was previously austere terrain, it's the sense that Ringle has finally found his own lyrical voice that makes this one to recommend for all the right reasons.

See myspace.com/horsefeathersmusic

Download tracks: Belly of June, As a Ghost