This is one of those rare albums that is recommend by a friend at the right time and place so that it syncs perfectly with the particular tilt of your world at the moment. Words Are Dead is one such album and Amy is one such friend as she advocated–actually demanded–that people stop and hear Horse Feather’s latest (you can read her spot on review over at eMusic).

Though the arrangements are sparse, conjuring the brisk chill of late autumn or the hard snap of deep winter, there still remains a quality of lushness and fullness to them. Justin Ringle and Peter Broderick craft music that is best described as the intersection of moody folk and bluegrass. There are elements of Norfolk and Western’s melancholia but rubbed with the saltiness of The Black Twig Pickers resulting in songs that play out like a long sigh but are weighted just enough so that they do not just drift away on the slightest of breezes. “Blood On The Snow” is a perfect example of this with the strings providing a counter melody to the vocals as the roll through the piece. “Honest Doubters” sees the violin come forward to stab home the main melody often competing with the vocals to wrestling them for center stage.

Words Are Dead is truly one of those albums that becomes a seasonal piece, an album that every year you pull out to listen to as you watch the world slow as it heads into Winter’s slumber. It would be more that worth it to head over to their Myspace page you can stream and download four of the tracks from the album. Highly recommended.