From Octave Records comes their newest release: FoxFeather’s The Nature of Things 

“Carly Ricks Smith’s voice is unforgettable, a wonderful cross between the folky soprano of a young Joni Mitchell and the jazz-heavy range of Lake Street Dive’s Rachel Price.”

It’s rare when an Audiophile label steps out of its acoustic comfort zone and into the power and charged energy of a kick-ass rock band, but FoxFeather’s The Nature of Things is the kind of release that gets music lovers talking and feet tapping. This is one hell of an album that we at Octave Records are excited to share with you. Brilliant songwriting, powerful vocals, and by far one of the best recordings we’ve ever made. The Nature of Things is a must-have musical treasure. Recorded exclusively in pure DSD, this remarkable work is destined to become a classic, one that’ll be heard up and down the halls of audio shows the world over.

The band FoxFeather features Carly Ricks Smith (lead vocals), Laura Paige Stratton (Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Backing Vocals), Kate Farmer (Backing Vocals), Jay Elliott (Drums and Percussion), Blake Smith (Electric Guitar), Mark Dabrowski (Electric Bass), Oliver Jacobson (Fiddle), Eben Grace (Pedal Steel, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar), and Eric Moon (Organ, Synthesizer). The band released their first full-length, self-titled album in October of 2016, and since then have been wowing crowds and building a huge following in Colorado and nationally. In this latest recording for Octave Records, The Nature of Things, songwriters Ricks Smith and Stratton have crafted a masterpiece—both musically and sonically.

The original recording was captured by engineer, Gus Skinas, in October of 2020 at the Vernon Barn in Longmont, Colorado. The Barn, a popular live venue with great acoustics, was taken over for a week in order to lay down live the band’s rhythm and instrumental tracks. During those week-long sessions, Carly and Laura laid down scratch vocal tracks which were later replaced nearly a year later at Animal Lane Studios in Lyons, where the final mixes were built by engineer Jay Elliott (who was also the drummer) along with producer Eben Grace (of Grace Designs), and Octave Record’s Giselle Collazo. FoxFeather’s driving sound relies upon a strong rhythm track where special attention was paid to the microphone kit on Jay Elliott’s drums. When listening to this release on a high-end stereo system, crank up the tracks and hear how live and in-the-room this drumkit is. One of the best drum recordings to date.

• Kick Inside – Telefunken M82 into Aurora GTP8 Mic Pre
• Kick Outside – Soundelux U195 into Aurora GTP8 Mic Pre
• Snare Top 1 –Beyerdynamic M201 into Aurora GTP8 Mic Pre into Warm Audio WA76 Comp
• Snare Top 2 – Oktava 012 into Grace 801 Mic Pre
• Snare Bottom – Telefunken M80 into Aurora GTP8 Mic Pre
• Rack – EV RE20 into Aurora GTP8 Mic Pre
• Floor – Audix D4 into Aurora GTP8 Mic Pre
• OH Pair 1a and 1b–Beesneez Lulu FET into RND 5012 Mic Pre– HPF In at 85 Hz
• OH Pair 2a and b –Beyerdynamic M160 into Grace 801 Mic Pre into A Designs EM-PEQ 500 Low Shelf cut at 100Hz very slight and High Shelf Boost at 10K very slight
• OH Mono – Coles 4038 into Grace 801 Mic Pre
• Drum Room Mono – AKG 414 in Cardioid into Aurora GTP8 into IGS S-Type 500 VU Comp 4:1 Mix at 60%
• Drum Room Stereo – Gus’s *secret weapons* into Forssell Mic Pres

Download the recording booklet

For more on this story and to purchase the CD go to: THE NATURE OF THINGS