Reviews
Band Of Horses
Everything All The Time
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Add to del.ico.us.Review Date: 2006-04-08
Being introduced to a band with a song as amazing and as wrenching as "Funeral" can be a seriously dangerous proposition. So often the lead single from an album is chosen because it is catchy, and it doesn't really sound like the rest of the album. Then you have those other times when the lead single hits you hard, and knocks you square off your feet. Those are the times you really have to worry -- how in the hell is an album supposed to hold up after you've become obsessed with a lead single like "Funeral," which could very well be one of the songs of the year?
"At every occasion, I'm ready for a funeral" is the line that sticks with me every time I listen to this song. No matter where I am, be it in the shower, on the subway, in the middle of class -- quite frankly, it doesn't matter I can't help but lose myself to the emotion of this song. Funerals have been far too prevalent in my life. Both of my grandparents and my mother passed away during my OAC year, and since then it seems I have been attending funerals at an alarming rate. So as you can see, the opening line of the chorus hits close to home, and yet there is a certain release in hearing how intensely lead singer Ben Bridwell belts it out, and in actually singing along with it. This is a very brave song and I love that the band opted to bring it out as a lead single. Many emerging bands could take note of this: bringing out your best song gets more respect than bringing out the poppiest song. Mind you, Sub Pop might have something to do with this, being that they are one of the best labels going and have been for years.
Rewind for a second -- Band of Horses essentially is Ben Bridwell and Mat Brooke, formerly of a band you might remember called Carissa's Weird. They have a few friends join in on certain tracks to flesh out the sound, but most of the credit goes to these two awesome musicians. Their ten-track debut doesn't let up for the entire 36-minute experience.
For those who don't remember Carissa's Weird, that band was more entrenched in a lusher poppier sound than Band of Horses would ever be considered to be. I'm sure some fans of Carissa's Weird lament the departure; personally, I always encourage a departure when starting a new band. I'd say Band of Horses are more likely to remind you of Neil Young & Crazy Horse than they are Carissa's Weird.
“Monsters” is the yin to the “Funeral’s” yang. It opens with much less instant gratification and emotion, with Mat Brooke accompanying the vocals with the rarely used banjo. The result is just a very pretty song that really puts the lyrics at the forefront, and they come through with flying colours. My personal favourite is “Though, to say we got much hope/If I am lost it’s only for a little while.” That lyric eventually is what will take the song from the tranquil beginning into a fervent crescendo.
If I had to pick one current band that sounds like Band of Horses my immediate reaction is My Morning Jacket (who by the way I am seeing open for Pearl Jam on May 9th). “The Great Salt Lake” morphs back into a mode of instant gratification. It owns you in seconds, and doesn’t disappoint. I’d put my money on this being the next single off Everything All the Time. Set in the middle of the album, this cautiously triumphant song acts as the apex. A veteran display of musicianship that you don’t expect to hear on a debut album, the tempo changes very much during the track but it’s all so effortless that you barely pick up on it.
These are just the highest of the highlights mentioned above. The album opens with the aptly-titled and wonderful “The First Song,” which asks us “Do you recover from hope?” Later on it follows up a series of emotionally draining songs with the whimsical “Weed Party.” The band seems to have an undeniable grasp of exactly what the listener desires or needs at certain times. I can’t help but think of Arcade Fire at times when listening to Band of Horses, but Arcade Fire never thought to give the listener a moment of catharsis like “Weed Party.”
Finally, ”St. Augustine” finds both members of the band singing together against just a modest touch of acoustic guitar; on this note Everything All the Time draws to a close, bound to leave the listener immensely satisfied.
Songs to hear: Anything I mentioned but this is an album in the truest sense of the word and should be heard as such.
Score: 8.85
- Dan