Music + Lyrics | The Pines

Music & lyrics

"Masterful songcraft, effortlessly embracing the range of the human condition: from brushing teeth to the outer reaches of the cosmos to the Great Spirit without leaving the back porch....presented with great gentleness and heart, and a minimalist's love of space and silence."

-Mason Jennings

Dark So Gold (2012)

Red House Records is pleased to announce the January 31, 2012 release of The Pines’ epic new album Dark So Gold. It follows their radio-charting Tremolo, which received rave reviews and was highlighted in PopMatters and CMT.com as one of the top Americana albums of the year. Showcasing their distinct blend of dark atmospheric indie-folk, rock and blues, The Pines’ new album shows a young band that has fully arrived with a sound and song craft that stands apart on the indie music landscape. Frontmen Benson Ramsey (vocals, guitars, keyboards) and David Huckfelt (vocals, acoustic guitar) lead up the expanded seven-piece band that includes Alex Ramsey (keyboards, vocals), J.T. Bates (drums), James Buckley (bass), Michael Rossetto (banjo) and Jacob Hanson (guitar). Together they create a cinematic soundscape of radio-friendly songs and beautiful instrumentals that display all the grace and sensibility of a truly great record.

From the haunting opening track “Cry, Cry, Crow,” The Pines conjure up rural specters and ghosts from the farms slowly disappearing throughout their native Midwest. Exploring the tension between city and small town and the loneliness that can exist in both, they move through breakups and new beginnings on songs like “If By
Morning,” “All the While,” “Dead Feathers” and the radio-friendly “Chimes.” Whether rocking out (“Rise Up and Be Lonely”) or playing contemplative instrumentals (“Moonrise, IA” and “Losing the Stars”), The Pines cook up a diverse palette of musical flavors and songs that reflect on cold days, dark nights and the hope that shines in between. Drawing light out of shadows, Dark So Gold is an album that provides solace in hard times and stands as The Pines’ masterwork to date.

Track Listing:

1. Cry, Cry, Crow
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2. If By Morning
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3. All The While
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4. Moonrise, Iowa

5. Rise Up and Be Lonely
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6. Be There in Bells
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7. Grace Hill

8. Chimes
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9. Dead Feathers
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10. Losing The Stars

"spooky country-noir...conjuring a grizzled sky, parched fields and cold wind"

- PopMatters

"A state of emergency runs through these songs, but there is a safe haven too, even if it’s just a dream, and the Pines get there with a warm, drawling poise in their voices and sparse resonant picking."

- Rolling Stone

Tremolo (2009)

Edgy alt-folk duo The Pines (David Huckfelt, Benson Ramsey) return with Tremolo, their follow-up album to 2007's internationally acclaimed, Sparrows in the Bell which received rave reviews including 4-stars from Q Magazine. Where Sparrows was the calm before the storm Tremolo parts the clouds and lets the sun sneak in. With its alluring acoustic melodies, gritty electric guitars and refined songwriting, David and Benson have created a modern roots masterpiece.

Recorded in only two days and produced by acclaimed producer Bo Ramsey, Tremolo has all the elements of a classic. Eloquent lyrics that are carried by two distinct voices that coalesce in a unique blend of indie-rock, folk, and blues. The grooves are textured and atmospheric while sparse arrangements construct a musical landscape that can "make you feel happy and sad almost simultaneously."

From the driving opener "Pray Tell," the haunting title track "Lonesome Tremolo Blues" to their complete re-adaptation of "Spider" John Koerner's "Skipper and His Wife" and the mournfully beautiful closing track "Shiny Shoes," Tremolo is an album that can descend through every corner of human emotion while leading the listener to the light at the end of the tunnel. An album of this significance proves why The Pines are one of the important new voices in American roots music.

Track Listing:

1. Pray Tell
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2. Heart & Bones
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3. Shine On Moon
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4. Lonesome Tremolo Blues
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5. Meadows of Dawn
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6. Skipper & His Wife
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7. Spike Driver Blues
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8. Behind the Time
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9. Avenue of the Saints
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10. Shiny Shoes
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"Starkly poetic, buzzed-about Americana"

- Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Lyrically clever, witty and vivid, and musically inspired, these songs live instantly in your head"

- Q Magazine

"the Twin Cites' answer to Calexico... well-crafted originals with powerful reinterpretations of folk tunes"

- The Onion

Sparrows in the Bell (2007)

Featuring the talents of David Huckfelt and Benson Ramsey, The Pines combine elements of roots, blues and rock music to create a raw, haunting sound that is inventive and compelling. Sparrows In The Bell is a darkly romantic collection of original songs along with traditional tunes that have been updated for a new generation of folk fans. Like other roots acts of their generation, The Pines create timeless music that is hip and relevant yet evokes century-old ghosts, inspired by romantic writers and roving troubadours.

Sparrows In The Bell was produced by The Pines and Benson's father Bo Ramsey ( Greg Brown, Lucinda Williams, and mixed by Tom Tucker (Prince, Jonny Lang) It was recorded in just four days with the help of a whole lot of Minneapolis talent including bassist Chris Morrissey (Mason Jennings, Andrew Bird), drummer J.T. Bates (Michel Portal, John Gorka), singer JoAnna James, members of the Spaghetti Western String Co. and Benson's brother, keyboardist Alex Ramsey.

The centerpiece of the recording, though, is The Pines themselves. David's strong voice and rhythmic acoustic guitar blend seamlessly with Benson's soft raspy vocals and grooving electric guitar riffs. Whether singing a wistful love ballad like "Without A Kiss," or a restless song of unfulfilled dreams like "Let's Go," the duo has an unmistakenly original sound. Paying homage to traditional music of their youth, they artfully cover "Careless Love," giving the song a rolling Americana sound that is contemporary and fresh. The Pines create a sound all their own, walking a thin line between sweetness and sadness, harkening back to the folk, blues and country songs that they heard growing up in small-town Iowa.

Track Listing:

1. Horse & Buggy
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2. Don't Let Me Go
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3. Without a Kiss
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4. Throw Me in the River
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5. Let's Go
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6. Circle Around the Sun
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7. Light Under the Door
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8. Careless Love

9. Midnight Sun
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10. Goin' Home
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Misc. Tracks: "Worried Blues" (Trad.) by The Pines.
(recorded 02/04 by T. Rigione in Rapid City, S.D.)