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Widowspeak is an American band comprised of Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas, known for its dreamy, western-tinged take on rock and roll. Their self-titled debut was praised for its reverential spaciousness, Hamilton’s haunting voice, and Thomas’s sinister Morricone-esque guitar lines. On their second album, Almanac, the duo explores denser arrangements and new sonic territory, from Saharan rhythms to Appalachian-inspired melodies, all delivered with stoic, wistful restraint. Named after those annual tomes which provide agricultural advice, chart weather patterns and astronomocal phenomena, Almanac likewise tracks the life and death of seasons, youth, love, and the cyclical nature of all things.

The album was recorded by Kevin McMahon (Swans, Real Estate) in a hundred year old barn in the Hudson River Valley of New York State during the transition from summer to fall. Producing with McMahon, Thomas expanded on the band’s demos, crafting layers of guitar, Rhodes piano, organ and harmonium.

Following the recent release of their second album, Almanac, the band is back today to share a performance of the album’s title track and single “Ballad of the Golden Hour,” as captured by Front Lawn. The video comes in conjunction with the band’s announcement of a US spring tour and their full schedule of performances at SXSW this week. Check out the video, along with all of the band’s upcoming performances, below.

SXSW

03/12 – Terrorbird Party – Red 7 – 611 E 7th St – 5:30 PM
03/14 – Insound party – Club DeVille – 900 Red River – 1:40 PM
03/14 – Brooklyn Vegan Party – The JR – 603 Red Rive – 4:30 PM
03/15 – Ground Control Touring Official SXSW Showcase – Mohawk – 912 Red River St – 11PM
03/15 – Wild Honey Pie – Uncorked – 900 E 7th St – 5PM
03/16 – Captured Tracks Showcase – The Parish – 214 E 6th St – 11:20 PM
TOUR DATES

03/17 Dallas, TX – Spillover Fest
03/19 Lawrence, KS – Replay Lounge
03/20 Omaha, NE – Slowdown
03/21 Denver, CO – Moe’s
03/22 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
03/23 Boise, ID – Treefort Music Fest
03/24 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
03/25 Vancouver, BC – Media Club
03/27 Seattle, WA – Chop Suey
03/29 Reno, NV – Holland Project
03/30 Sacramento, CA – Bows and Arrows
03/31 San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
04/01 Santa Cruz,CA – Crepe Place
04/02 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
04/04 San Diego, CA – The Void
04/05 Tucson, AZ – Topaz Tundra
04/07 El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace
04/08 Austin, TX – Mohawk
04/10 New Orleans, LA – Breezy’s
04/11 Memphis, TN – The Buccaneer
04/12 St Louis, MO – Firebird
04/13 Chicago, IL – Schubas
04/14 Ann Arbor, MI – Space 4235
04/15 Toronto, ON – Garrison
04/16 Montreal, QC – Casa Del Popolo
04/19 Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory

03/24 with Ducktails
03/25 with Amor De Dias

Widowspeak
Almanac
(Captured Tracks)
1/22/13

1. Perennials
2. Dyed in the Wool
3. The Dark Age
4. Thick As Thieves
5. Almanac
6. Ballad of the Golden Hour
7. Devil Knows
8. Sore Eyes
9. Locusts
10. Minnewaska
11. Spirit Is Willing
12. Storm King