BAND OF HORSES
Everything All The Time
Sub Pop
· With a new name and a new sound, longtime Carissa’s Wierd collaborators craft a dizzying, dreamlike and often dazzling debut.
Band of Horses wear their hearts on their sleeves, right next to their influences. It won’t take a trained ear to notice that the Seattle two-piece sound strikingly similar to The Shins, My Morning Jacket (MMJ), and, in more than a few cases, Neil Young, but is there really any problem with that? Twangy, emotionally dense indie-pop is by no means groundbreaking, but it’s certainly easy, accessible and most importantly, enjoyable.
Additionally, what Band of Horses lack in innovation, they certainly make up for with lush, shimmering orchestration. This includes softly plucked banjos ("Monsters"), sparse acoustics ("St. Augustine"), rustic slides (the awkwardly titled "I Go to the Barn Because I Like The"), and even more reverb-heavy guitars on top of it all.
Nonetheless, what really makes Everything All The Time special is vocalist Ben Bridwell’s fully committed, high-pitched yelps – bringing to mind the previously mentioned Young, MMJ front man Jim James, and perhaps even an alternate-reality Perry Farrel. These are well exemplified on the swirling album centrepiece "The Great Salt Lake" and the upbeat saloon-stormer "Weed Party," but are at their absolute best on the album highlight "The Funeral." Rising, racing and falling like a sonic rollercoaster ride, this song’s transcendent dual guitar melodies overlap Bridwell’s echoed announcements that "at every occasion, I’ll be ready for a funeral." Perhaps he should be prepared for a celebration instead, as this is undoubtedly one of the best debuts of 2006.
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