Glass half-something: Horse Feathers’ balancing act on “Cynic’s New Year”

Portland, OR-based folk act Horse Feathers has never before made doomsday thoughts of grief and despair sound more appealing.

“Every night we all go to a house we’ll never own / Every night we are tired, we’ve been worked to the bone / Nearly every day, we earn a lower wage to tell you what we’re made of, or just what we’re paid / It’s a hard country we’ve made,” singer Justin Ringle croons over sweeping strings arrangement and soft acoustic guitar riffs on “Fit Against the Country.” Ringle’s lyrics allude to the country’s current economic climate without bombarding the listener with tiresome political undertones, giving the songs an almost literary dimensionality throughout the new record.

The band’s fourth studio album is entitled Cynic’s New Year, a title that perfectly illustrates the dichotomy between the calm folkiness of the instrumental work and the gloomy uncertainty expressed in the lyrics. Ringle and company seemed to have perfected walking this tightrope, especially after releasing a cover of Nirvana’s “Drain You” so beautifully soothing that one is hardly able to believe its relation to the original.

Ringle began performing in Portland under the moniker Horse Feathers around 2004 and has since fleshed out the band to a four-piece act, including cellist Catherine Odell and multi-instrumentalist Sam Cooper.

While the band’s sound has not changed much from album to album, Cynic’s New Year plays as its most fleshed-out work to date, melodies perfectly complemented with string and guitar arrangements and lyrics like a tall drink of heartfelt Americana. That being said, if you’ve heard one Horse Feathers song, you’ll feel like you’ve heard them all, but hey, why mess with a formula that works? Cynic’s New Year is an undeniably enjoyable album and a perfect soundtrack for the impending summer, so don’t be afraid to drink up.

Horse Feathers will be playing at Brighton Music Hall on Saturday.