MP3 At 3PM: The Horse’s Ha

Janet Beveridge Bean surely must have earned a lifetime achievement award by now for coolest indie-rock name of all time. Bean is also the co-founder, with guitarist Rick Rizzo, of Chicago-based psychedelic art-rockers Eleventh Dream Day, as well as sharing lead-vocal duties with Catherine Irwin in twisted country-folk duo Freakwater. In June, Bean checks in with the cryptically titled Of The Cathmawr Yards (Hidden Agenda), the ghostly debut outing by the Horse’s Ha, an ensemble that sounds like neither of the above. Add the quiet cello of Fred Lonberg-Holm to the politely refined vocal tandem of Bean and U.K. expatriate James Elkington (the Zincs), and you’ve got a soothing blend that evokes the spirits of Brasil ’66 and former Fairport Convention warbler Sandy Denny. Even a song titled “The Piss Choir” doesn’t generate enough windpower to blow out a candle, let alone lather up the horses. Of The Cathmawr Yards does, however, appear to be fertile ground for a small-budget maverick film to cherrypick an excellent soundtrack.

“The Piss Choir” (download):

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.