I’ve been trying to eat a bit
healthier recently. For the first time in my life I have developed a bit of a
tummy and I am determined to get rid of it. I simply have too many good tight T-shirts
I won’t be able to wear otherwise.
Later today I’ll be doing some
housework, including the laundry, but before I get to such Sunday tedium I’ll
review the next album in the CD Odyssey. Like chores, the Odyssey feels
never-ending, but it is a whole lot more enjoyable.
Disc 637 is….Cease to Begin
Artist: Band of
Horses
Year of Release: 2007
What’s up with the Cover? Is this a full moon
or a crescent moon over water? A bit of both, I suppose. I’ve always loved the
look of moonlight over water, so this cover appeals to me, even though this
picture looks like it was taken through a medieval castle’s arrow slit. Medieval
castles are great for location, but not so much for their views. I think a big
bay window would have been nicer here, although obviously less effective during
a siege. But I digress…
How I Came To Know It: I found out about Band of Horses
when they opened for a Beck concert I went to – it was when they were touring
for this album, so “Cease to Begin” was my first exposure to the band, and the
reason I was inspired to start seeking out their music.
How It Stacks Up: We have four Band of Horses albums and “Cease to
Begin” is my favourite, so I’ll rank it first.
Rating: 3 stars, but almost 4
I always want Band of Horses to be
just a bit better than they are, but on “Cease to Begin” they come close to
meeting my expectations.
As always with Band of Horses, “Cease
to Begin” is notable for lead singer Ben Bridwell’s high clear tenor voice,
which is right in the sweet spot for modern indie bands. I don’t always love
this vocal style, but on “Cease to Begin” Bridwell makes it work and infuses
these songs with an emotional quality too often missing from this style of pop
music.
At times the band creates a lot of
layered sound on this record, but the more they layer it the more they lose me.
It isn’t that the production is bad, because it is actually very good. It is
more that in creating the layers they build a wall of sound that is standing in
front of the melodies when the band is trying to rock out.
The worst offender is Creighton
Barrett on drums who always seems to revert to cymbal bashing when the songs
reach their crescendo. While the high percussive sound matches well to Bridwell’s
vocals, it also grates over time, and I would have preferred some more bass
driven beats at those spots.
When the songs are stripped down,
as they are on ballads like “No One’s
Gonna Love You” and “Detlef Schrempf”
the result is magical. Here the band creates a haunting and emotive sound that
you can imagine hearing over a dark sea by moonlight, just like the cover
suggests. It is mysterious but also compelling and thoughtful.
While I had recently planned to
swear off future Band of Horses purchases, all of this makes me wonder if their
new collection, “Acoustic at the Ryman” might be exactly what I’m looking for. With
these guys less is definitely more.
I will also give them credit for a
tight playlist. “Cease to Begin” only has ten songs, and with the exception of
the very short and awkwardly titled instrumental “Lamb on the Lam (in the City)” they all seem to belong.
They could do a better job of
naming the songs, however. “Cease to Begin” has embraced the modern trend of
giving a lot of their songs awkward titles, based on a fleeting lyric rather
than a chorus or refrain you can wrap your head around. I was discussing the
record at lunch with friends and I honestly couldn’t remember most of the
titles, or just what song we were talking about when they were named. Argh.
Another minor, non-music related
gripe is the decision to once again put a bunch of photographs into the CD
liner notes instead of something useful like song lyrics. On the review of “EverythingAll the Time” I even posted what they look like, but I won’t do it again
as that would just encourage the band to keep doing it.
These are minor quibbles however,
on an album that when it shows restraint, delivers some truly inspiring work. “Marry Song” is a magic moment in time,
as it fills the room with the sound of tight harmony and regret. “Is There a Ghost” has less to offer
lyrically, but through repetition of simple phrases it haunts as effectively as
its title (which mercifully is actually part of the song).
While instruments outside of
Bidwell’s voice don’t get much chance to shine individually, on the final track
of the album, “Window Blues,” lead
guitarist Tyler Ramsey shines with some soulful picking that ties a bow on an
album that despite a few warts, has more to recommend it than not.
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