Sugar Hill Records

Black Prairie, featuring three-fifths of The Decemberists, appropriately boasts a sound akin to an indie band relocated to an Appalachian mountain holler – having gone mostly acoustic for bluegrass, string music and spooky ballads. That holds true for songs like “Red Rocking Chair,” the mournful tale of a mysteriously absent baby – Annalisa Tornfelt’s ethereal vocals hang over an earthy bed of Jenny Conlee’s accordion, Chris Funk’s humming dobro, Nate Query’s upright bass and Jon Neufield on guitar. Same goes for the dirge-speed “Crooked Little Heart.” “A Prairie Musette” and “Ostinato Del Caminito” are lovely flickering waltzes that would be at home in the courtyard of a French village. It’s a surprisingly rich and engaging detour from Decemberists territory.